Too Close to Home
by Pen to Paper Writer
Summary: Rick and Kate have deep feelings for each other. They both know it. She thinks about the pain he will cause if she drops her walls, so she sets out to teach him a lesson the only way she knows how. That is until the team catches a murder that will hit both of them hard. Can they come together to solve it and realize they need each other? Season 2 A/U story. Prompt from TORONTOSUN.
1. Chapter 1

Detective Beckett walks alongside her Captain. And as she does she is giving him the case update about the Sean Caldwell murder.

"So Rodger was right about Caldwell being followed that night?" Roy asks.

"Well, when the husband got onto the affair, he did a little spy game of his own, tracked down and killed his wife's lover." Kate sadly tells him.

"Mmmphh, two affairs, a loveless marriage it's sad a man had to die because all the people involved were too scared to say what they really felt."

"Yes, it is sad." Kate replies. Then she thinks about Rick and their situation.

As her Captain walks away Kate is left with the vision of Castle talking on his cell phone. It brings a smile to her face because he does not really look over to her because he's too busy with his call and she can afford to look at him with no worry about him seeing how she feels towards him…. for now. The moment is over to quickly as she sees him ending his call and walking towards her. He tells her that he needs to run to drop Alexis off at Princeton for her summer program and he will be back for the party that the boys are going to throw for him. He bids her goodbye and turns to leave. The smile she displayed not ten seconds earlier reappears and grows in size.

Her smile fades as quickly as it appears as she sees her beau, Detective Demming. He is walking through the homicide floor and she knows that she needs to end things with him. She can't lead him on anymore. But can she. Her mind keeps coming back to Castle trying too hard to convince her to practically sunbathe in the nude at his beach house. But then during the case when he told her that he wanted to take a break it broke her heart. She can't lower the walls around her heart just to have him stomp all over it. So she makes a decision.

Rick collects Alexis and heads out to New Jersey. He tells her that he will always be there for her and to call if she needs anything. She asks if he is taking anyone to the Hamptons and he tells her that he, in fact, did ask a certain someone. At first, she said no, but he feels that she will change her mind.

"Dad, try not to screw this one up!" Alexis jokingly tells him.

Back at the 12th, Kate is trying to find a way to let Tom down easily. She has her words in her head but has trouble articulating them. Then she throws caution to the wind. Just as she opens her mouth to tell him Gina walks over to her and Tom.

"Hi, Kate. Have you seen Richard anywhere? I've been trying to call him for the last day and my calls go unanswered."

"Gina, I think that he is dropping Alexis off at Princeton and will be back around 4 pm."

"Well, then I'll just wait for him then. It won't be easy to hail a cab back to his loft at this hour."

"Gina, I know it's none of my business, but why would you need to go back to Castle's loft?"

"Oh, that's fine I'll gladly tell you. It would be easier to wait for him here because when he returns back from Princeton we can just leave from here."

"Leave from here? Why, where are you going?"

"Oh, right, well Rick called me this morning and invited me to his beach house out in the Hamptons. It seemed that the person who he wanted to take never gave him a solid answer."

The color in Kate's face drains. She was so sure that he would wait for her answer. How could she have been so stupid? Damn if she could just get over her fears of him stomping all over her heart this would have never happened. Just then she sees Rick coming off the elevator and excuses herself from Gina. She turns to Tom trying to save some of her dignity. Her choices have now changed. She will use Tom to purposely hurt him. She was so close to saying that she would go with him. And he decided she was not worth the wait.

"So Tom, are we still going to be able to make those reservations in Asbury?" Kate asks trying to hide the hurt in her voice.

A stunned Tom answers "Sure they are Kate, but if we want to make them we need to leave soon."

Gina has migrated to the room where the Captain, the boys, and Lanie were. She took a seat and started talking to Lanie. Castle enters the room as well and takes a seat. He pops the top on a beer and thinks of a way to make her see that they could be great together. He really doesn't want to flaunt Gina around her and make her jealous like it seems she is doing with Demming towards him. He knows that when she asked Demming a little too loudly if they could make it to their beach house in Asbury, she did it knowing he was walking up behind them it was for his benefit and not Tom's.

The party is winding down and Rick and Gina get up to leave. Kate takes her coat off the coat rack and follows the out. Tapping Castle on his shoulder he turns to face her. The boys and Lanie get up to see what will transpire outside the conference room pressing their faces against the window like little kids drooling over a candy store's selections.

"So Castle, when will you be back from the Hamptons?"

Gina takes the pause in the conversation to tell her that they will be gone for the whole summer. His chapters due to her are behind and she will get him to finish the book before the middle of July. Rick raises his hand to shake hers and she accepts. As he turns to walk away Demming slides up behind her then wraps his arms around her waist and all she feels at that moment with him behind her is alone. So damn alone.

"Castle, see you in the fall?"

"See you in the fall." He throws over his shoulder as he walks to the elevator with Gina's arm around his waist. She thinks to herself that she needs him to do is just turn around and when he sees all the love in her eyes for him he will come running back to her. Only he never turns around.


	2. Chapter 2

II

As Rick walked towards the elevator something was gnawing at the back of his mind. She had more to say to him right before she shook his hand. Instead of telling him she kept it to herself. He wanted to look back he really did but just as he was going to, Gina whispered something in his ear. After giving her his answer the elevator doors closed and forgot all about it.

The boys and Lanie were the only ones left in the conference room. The Captain just walked past her with a pathetic look on his face not uttering one word. She looked back at them through the window and realized how badly she had handled this. Her eyes darted to Lanie who had an apologetic look. She needed her best friend to talk to. So as most of the 12th's day shift detectives had gone for the day Ryan and Esposito decided to do the same.

"Yo, Beckett, we'll see you on Monday okay?" As Espo motions between himself and Ryan.

"Yeah, guys see you then. And thanks for this." She points to the remains of the party.

"No problem. Night Kate." Ryan says.

Lanie just steps back as Kate walks in and plops down onto the chair across from her. Seeing her friend almost in a catatonic state she waits. Carefully she sits directly across from her. Whatever she is going to tell her it will be very emotional for her so she waits her out.

Kate plays with the paper label on her beer bottle. The condensation made it easier to pull it off. Taking the bottom of the label she pulls it straight up. Looking at the remainder of the label she says to Lanie

"Lanie, that's how easy it should have been for me. But I still manage to screw it up."

Not understanding her meaning "Kate what does a beer bottle label have to do with talking to Castle?"

"God I suck at metaphors too. Lanie the label represents a band-aid. Ripping it off was supposed to be quick and painless. So to speak."

"Oh, sweetie. Talk to me. What went wrong?"

"I simply froze. I wanted to ask him if the invitation was still open, but when I found out that he was taking Gina to the Hamptons I... I might have done something so stupid."

"Well, that wouldn't surprise me. Come on it can't be that bad, right?"

"Yes, it can be."

"Spill now... or else."

Kate replays the scene in her head before she tells Lanie. Trying to make it less her fault won't be a good thing.

"I found out that Gina was going to the Hamptons with Rick. I found out that he only invited her after I told him no so many times. I guess he just got tired of waiting."

"Well, that doesn't seem that bad. Give him some time to cool down and tell him how you feel about him then."

"That might be just a little harder now."

"Kate, what did you do?"

"Well, I might have flaunted Tom in his face. I wanted Castle to feel the hurt that I was feeling when he invited Gina instead of me. So I made it seem that Tom and I were still an item."

"Kate, he did invite you, and then you do this to him? A part of me agrees with whatever he decides to do."

Lanie looks at her friend. Sure they talked about what Castle has done in his past, but that guy is practically not the guy they see here every day. Lanie knew that they needed a push to get things started so she told her what to say. She's right maybe this is broken beyond repair.

"Kate, listen you're going to need to let him get over this. Give him a week and send him a text, nothing too heavy, go with what you know."

"Lanie, I told you I'm really bad at this stuff. I'll come off as needy. Then he'll never want to talk to me again."

Kate, give it a week and pay me a visit...okay?"

"Okay."

The drive out to the Hamptons was excruciating. There were 3 separate accidents on the LIE. Two were single car accidents that they were able to get by quickly as they both recently happened. The third one, well that were not so lucky. It seems that an SUV lost it's right front wheel and as it did, it was riding alongside a gas tanker. The driver lost control of the SUV and slammed into the side of the steel tank. This caused a minor leak. The rear tandems rolled over the SUV and as it did the frame supports became twisted from rolling over the SUV and split the smaller hole into a larger one. The tank spilled the entire 2500 gallons onto the highway. When everything came to rest the SUV was on its side. The driver pinned between the door and the pavement. Many good Samaritans stopped to help. They needed to remove the driver before the fuel ignited. Not being first responders they had no equipment to mount such a rescue. So they used the SUV's tire jack to lift the SUV off the driver. All was working like clockwork until the jack slipped out from under the SUV. The steel striking the concrete roadway made one too many sparks and ignited the gas. The fireball could be seen for miles. Luckily the good Samaritans had just dragged the driver to the center of the highway median escaping certain death.

Rick tried to find a way around this mess with his GPS system in his Mercedes S63. There was no other road to take being that they were just about at the Hamptons all there was a two lane road in front of them. Sitting there waiting for the mess to be cleared, he thinks back to earlier. He knew that Kate was using Demming to hurt him. He may not have known why, but he still loved her. He always would. Maybe by the time he returned back to the city he would piece it together and they could start a solid relationship.

The traffic was finally starting to move and Rick finished the short drive to his estate. Pulling up to the manse he got out, stretched his back and retrieved the bags from the trunk. He followed Gina into the house closing the solid door behind him. Within seconds, Gina had bolted for the french doors that led to the ocean. Swinging them open she could only stare at the beauty before her. Even in the dark out on the balcony he could see the determination in her eyes. Turning back into the house she started to organize things for him, rearranging his office for him (he thought that it would let him write better) starting up his laptop for him to use, calling the local Chinese joint to order a late dinner, and hovering over him while he ate it, but the last straw was hiding all his remote controls and gaming controllers.

The phone call and talking all lovingly had been her way to manipulate him. Rick knew now that bringing Gina here was a mistake. One that he knew would turn out to be the end of them.


	3. Chapter 3

III

Waiting was never one of Kate Beckett's shining qualities. She knew Lanie was right in telling her that it was crucial to wait the week for him to cool down a little before she made any type of confession. They were partners, platonic partners, but partners just the same. It had been five days since he left for the Hamptons. She was really hoping that he could find time for a break from his writing to give her a call, but her phone never rang. She really made a mess of this situation and she wanted to fix it. Looking back now that she actually left the precinct on Friday and went with Tom to Asbury had been the wrong thing to do. She knew that he noticed she was basically lost it thought the whole weekend. Sure they did the things that any new couple would on a holiday weekend dinner at a nice eatery, walks on the beach and playing a round of mini golf on the boardwalk. However, things had changed once they returned back to work the following Tuesday. She was keeping their contact on more of a professional level. He noticed this. He tried to get her to tell him what was wrong but she kept her thoughts hidden from him.

Since there were no open cases the team was trying to close cold cases and get caught up on outstanding paperwork from two previous recently closed cases. Ryan rolled his chair over to her desk and asked

"Hey, Beckett, any word from our resident writer?"

Kate looked up from her paperwork and gave him a sullen look and he quickly rolled back to his desk now knowing that the topic of Castle was off limits.

Kate looked at him for a second as he buried his head back into the cold case he was looking into. Honestly, she really knew that he was only trying to cheer her up, but it only made her realize that she missed him that much more. Deciding it was time for a break, she pushed her chair away from her desk and gathered her weapon and headed out to see Lanie. Being that it was slow she hoped Lanie could spare a few minutes to talk.

As she walked out of the bullpen she told Kevin where she would be if something came up. Getting into her car she started the engine and left the 12th. As she drove down East 26th Street towards Lanie's office she noticed him everywhere. On the city bus that passed her there was an advertisement for his new upcoming book Naked Heat. A red Ferrari was parked on the side of the street, it was the wrong model but it was a Ferrari. And the sign that shook her the most was the coffee shop that he frequented when he stopped to pick up her cup. She was close to tears when she parked the car. She composed herself and checked her makeup in the rearview mirror. Satisfied with how she looked she went to see Lanie.

/

What was he thinking? Nothing good EVER comes from inviting your ex-wife with you to the Hamptons. He should have known from the first night that he was in way too deep. Sure they talked on the phone, but he realized now that this was her way of sweet talking him into taking her with him. She was relentless. She got up at the crack of dawn and made breakfast for the both of them,but that's where the kindness ended. When he wanted to take his time and relax after breakfast, she cracked the whip. No this was his publisher talking now all hints of the woman he once loved were gone.

"Richard, where are you?"

Damn it he can't even go to the bathroom in peace. Deciding not to give himself away he kept quiet. She would get discouraged and move to another part of the house to find him. He wanted to be anywhere but here. He wondered what Kate was doing. How her weekend with Schlemming went. Man, he hated that guy. He decided that Gina had to go. He could not stand her looking over his shoulder demanding that he be writing for a second longer. That's the thing. Gina could never understand his creative process. Sure he would keep putting things off until the last minute but he still made his deadlines. She thought writing was more like a business. Sit at the desk, type a chapter or two break for lunch come back and maybe crank out one more chapter before quitting time. If it were that easy everyone would be doing it.

Rick washes his hands and heads back out to the ruthless slave driver.

"Oh, Richard there you are! I know that we have been cooped up here for the last five days and you have made a feeble attempt at writing, but I have decided that we need a break."

Well, this could be good he thought to himself. A real break, maybe out to a nice place to eat?

"Okay, Gina what did you have in mind for us?"

"US! Richard whatever on earth are you talking about? When I meant "we" needed a break I was referring to me. You lover, are going to stay here and give me some more chapters. I called the car service to pick me up, I hope that's okay?"

Rick's hands curled into fists at the sides of his thighs. This was it, the proverbial straw that broke the camels back. His face was turning red and his knuckles were turning white with the pressure he was using squeezing them into fists.

"Gina!" Rick said bitterly. She never heard him.

"The driver will be here soon and I think the shops are better in Manhattan. They have the best shops there, nothing like here! So I'll hea..."

"GINA!" He repeated louder this time stopping her in mid sentence.

"Richard, what is it? Now finally seeing his face a deep shade of red.

"When you get to Manhattan, don't bother coming back out here! This right here (he spreads his arms wide encompassing the whole house) is not working! I'm done with this arrangement."

His words had stung her. She thought that they were doing fine...well fine in her eyes. She takes a hesitant step towards him but just as she did so did he, only away from her.

"Rick..."

A car horn sounds outside and he tells her that he will tell the driver that she will be a little delayed while she packs her clothes.

He raises his hand to stop her from saying anything else because he knows that she will turn this all around on him and then she'll never leave. He turns towards the front door and walks away. It takes her less than five minutes to pack. Before long she is walking out the front door of the house. He does the gentlemanly gesture and opens the door for her.

"Rick, please?"

"Gina this is for the best. I'll have the chapter I'm working on in your inbox by Friday. There are only two or three chapters left to write. Then we can meet at Black Pawn to go over the release dates and the book launch."

She rolls down the window of the black Lincoln and he thinks that she will say something to him, but she just gives him a sad look and raises the window as the car pulls away.

He needs a drink. Not to get hammered but just one or two to take the edge off. Finally finished, he is in his study looking at the last page of the last chapter for Naked Heat. He saves and closes the document and attaches it to the email to Gina. Taking the last sip of the scotch he hits the send button. Heading to bed he falls into a dreamless sleep. Hours later he wakes to his cell phone ringing. No one would be calling him because anyone he cares about knows where he is so he lets it go unanswered. Not less than 15 seconds later it rings once again. Raising up to a sitting position he finds his phone and looks at the caller ID. It reads Ryan, K.

He is fingers are shaking as he swipes the lock bar to the right fearing the worst...


	4. Chapter 4

IV

Kate arrives at Lanie's office after the ride from hell and the ME sees her enter and she can that she is upset. Closing the file of the case she is now working on she returns the file to her office. Looking at Kate sitting in her break room they need to map out her attempt to talk to Rick. She knows that they both have feelings for each other, but they have both been handling it badly. Her flaunting Demming in Rick's face and him for doing the same to her with Gina. If it was not for his phone call earlier she would have never agreed to do this.

"Kate, listen to me. Giving him the time he needs to calm down can only help you with what you want to tell him."

Lanie places the file back in the file cabinet and turns to sit with her at the table.

"Lanie, did you see his face when he left? He was clearly so upset with me. I was really thinking that it was a good idea to use Tom to make him jealous." She said with trepidation in her voice.

"Kate, I know that this is all new to you. When you get to a certain point in any relationship something inside you takes over and then it pushes the rational, problem solving Kate Beckett out of the picture. The only other guy you were ever even this serious about before Rick was Will.

"Lanie!"

"What, it's the truth is it not?"

"Yeah, your right."

"And what happened?"

"He left for Boston."

"And?"

"And I was so in love with him I actually considered resigning from the NYPD to become a cop in Boston."

"And we all know what happened next...right?"

"Come on Lanie, don't make me say it, please. You know what happened."

"Kate, you need to face this. It's the only way you'll see what you're doing to him."

"He dumped me. He never wanted me to go with him. God, I was such a fool."

"Now, do you see what you are doing to Rick?

"I'm a bitch, aren't I? It seems everything that could be good in my life I throw away."

"Kate, I know that he hurt you when he dumped you, but when you get close to a man, any man you find a way to destroy something that has the potential to be something special. I'm showing you what you could be throwing away. I like Rick. I really do. I think that the two of you can actually make it considering your line of work. But you need to open up to him. You can't be hurting each other anymore, nothing good will come from it."

"Lanie, I need your help."

"Girl, you need so much more than my help!"

"I wasn't going to tell you this, but he called two days ago. He sounded like he was rushed, he said something like he was hiding from the wicked witch of the east. He asked how you were doing. I told him about your weekend away with Tom and he hoped that you had a good time."

"Lanie, you didn't."

"Kate, he asked, I am not going to lie to him."

"Well, how did he sound to you?"

"After he found out about your weekend, well he seemed deflated. But then I told him that you missed him."

"WHAT!?"

"Well it's not a lie is it?"

"Well no."

"Then what's the problem. And he said that he missed you too."

"He did?"

"Yeah, so now all we need to do is get rid of your excess baggage."

So they planned and thought things out. Kate needed to end things with Tom. Then she needs to grovel, beg, and apologize to Rick hoping he can see what a bitch she was for trying to make him jealous. Then, maybe, maybe she will be able to see if they have a chance for them. She hoped they do.

After Lanie and Kate finished formulating a strategy they went out for lunch. Since the OCME had held many functions at this restaurant there was a standing order that there was always an open table for anyone from the OCME. Sitting in the booth at a well respected restaurant they were sitting just a little out if sight from the other diners. So much so that if anyone came in they would not be seen. They watched the scene as it unfolded right before their eyes. Standing at the maȋtre d's station with an armful of high end boutique shopping bags, it seemed that Gina wanted to get a table for one without a reservation. It was the lunch rush and while walk in's were welcome they would be given a table after everyone with a reservation was seated first.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Yes, Ma'am I do." The maȋtre d' replied snobbishly.

"Well, then I expect a table now!"

"Ma'am I'm afraid that all of our tables are otherwise occupied. Maybe if you make a reservation for sometime next week."

"NEXT WEEK?" I need a table now!"

"Ma'am If you don't refrain from raising your voice I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Never mind, I seem to have lost my appetite." Gina said hotly.

"Good-Bye Ma'am." The Maȋthe d' replied with a smirk.

The waiting patrons applauded the patience of the Maȋtre d'. Gina stormed off never to return.

"Lanie, do you realize what this means?" Kate asked.

"Well yeah, Gina has to eat somewhere else now."

"No Lanie...think about it. Gina in Manhattan...ALONE!"

"Kate you don't think..."

"I do. Quick let's get the check and get out of here. I need to break up with Tom.

/

The robbery division was involved in a rash of push in robberies. Tom was assigned to be the lead detective for the cases. They thought that they were all being committed by the same crew. So it was a nice surprise that Kate had come to see him. As she drew closer to him, he could see that she was fighting with something. He had a bad feeling about her visit.

Kate knew that he knew that she was going to end it with him. Just by the look on his face. She hated what she was going to do. He really was a nice guy. As she walked closer she could see it in his eyes. She just needed to keep her thoughts clear of Rick, because if she didn't he would see right through her.

"Hi, Tom." Kate opened with.

"Hey Kate, what brings you down into the trenches?"

"Do you have a couple of minutes? We need to talk."

Yeah, this was it. He should have known that she was going to do this. It was just too good to be true. But he'd hear her out, he knew it was over and he would not give her any grief over it.

"Sure Kate, let's go to the break room."

"Tom listen, I really, really like you but my heart is not in this. This is just not what I'm looking for right now."

"Kate, what are you looking for?"

"Tom, I really wish I knew."

"So going away this weekend past was also not what you wanted?"  
Tom said sounding hurt.

"Tom, I was not in the right frame of mind to go away with you. I should have been honest with you from the start."

"Your right, you should have."

"Tom, I'm so sorry. Can we still be friends?"

"To be honest Kate, no. You stay up on homicide and I'll stay here on the robbery floor. I think that's better. No hard feelings?

"Okay, that's fine with me." She thought about kissing him lightly on the cheek but dashed the idea.

Her cell phone chimed with a text. But before she had time to respond to it her phone was ringing. She hit the accept button and answered.

"Beckett."

"Detective, I need you in my office right now."

"Yes, sir. Can I ask what for?"

No, Kate, you can't. Just get here now."

When she arrived on the fourth floor, Javi and Ryan were standing right outside of the Captain's office. As she walked closer she noticed that Lanie was in his office sitting on a chair in front of his desk. Whatever it was it couldn't be good news. She hesitated for a second until Roy noticed her and waved her into his office. She entered and stood right in front of him.

"Kate, I have some bad news."

Kevin and Javi entered and closed the door. They stood on each side of her, they nodded to Roy and he started to explain what was going on. After a full minute of discussion, Kate looked at him with a pale face and collapsed to the floor...


	5. Chapter 5

V

Rick swiped the accept bar on his phone. The call connected and instantly he heard a combination of crying, yelling and loud bangs as if fists were hitting wood. He was expecting to hear Ryan, but the line was only filled with the sounds he was currently hearing. Waiting for about ten seconds he thought that Ryan had accidentally dialed him without knowing. So he went to press the end button. His thumb was hovering over it when he heard

"Castle, it's Ryan. You need to get back to the city. Something involving Beckett has happened and she only wants to see you. We have tried to calm her down but everything we tried... well, won't work. Rick, please just get here. I don't know what else to do."

"I'm leaving now. It's rush hour closer to the city but I'll do my best. See you soon." Rick said.

Rick had hung up the phone before Ryan had finished talking. Ryan sounded afraid. Actually petrified. He never sounded like that.

Javi and Ryan had seen her composure fading the longer she stood there in front of the Captain. Before she hit the floor they caught her and eased her on the couch across from Lanie. She covered her with a blanket and took her vitals just to make sure she was fine. They decided that the news she was given she needed the rest. So they let her sleep.

Espo raises from his position by Kate and says: "Cap, you know that she can't work this one right?"

"Espo, I know that and everyone else knows that, but you know how stubborn she can be... Right? She will still want to work this and a small part of me want's to let her, dismissed detective."

Espo leaves the Captains office and Lanie follows. Looking back at Kate before she does. She reaches Espo just he reaches his desk.

"Babe, why can't she work this case?" Lanie asks with uncertainty.

"Chica, it's department policy to prevent any cop from working a case that involves a family member. She won't able to be objective."

"Javi, are you sure about that?"

"Lanie it doesn't matter what I think. Beckett is tough, but this? This will be one she might come back from and the Captain will follow the regs and keep her from investigating."

"Okay, I'm going back to check in on her."

As Lanie walked away, he thought about who would work this case. Since this murder was involving an NYPD detective's family member, the captain had the option to try sending the investigation to the 19th precinct. Or he could give it to himself and Ryan, they would find out who did this. They would be relentless for their sister. Espo hoped it was the latter.

/

Rick was frantic. There were so many scenarios running through his mind, not one of them ending well. The drive from his home on route 27 gave him time to think before he hit Riverhead. By the time he got to the LIE he was more of a mess than when he started. He needed a distraction. So he drove. He drove the LIE like it was the track at Indianapolis. Weaving in and out of traffic barely missing taxis and limos the closer he got to the Clearview Expressway. He could see the city's silhouette now, and while it was a welcoming sight, it also put him into a mood he could not describe. Fear started to rise in him the closer he got to the city. He passed the toll booths on the Whitestone Bridge. He'd be at the precinct in less than 20 minutes give or take. Ryan's call was short and left nothing for him to go on. So he decided to put it out of his mind.

"Lanie, how is she?" Roy asked.

"Well, she has experienced a traumatic event. I'm not sure how her mental health is but her physical health is fine. She just needs to rest."

"Alright, I need to head out for a meeting. When Rick gets here please give me a call directly."

Roy knew he was going to catch grief from Kate. He wanted to keep his options open. The meeting with Captain James at the 19th would tell him if he had any other options. Esposito and Ryan, well he knew that they could handle the investigation, but could they remain impartial? They were loyal to Kate, but could they investigate the murder of her cousin and stay that way?

/

Rick pulled up to the red zone right in front of the 12th. He parked and just left the car running as he jumped out and ran towards the front steps. Eying the desk Sergeant he waved him through the metal detectors knowing that he was arriving.

"Thanks, Bill!"

"Just catch the bastard, Rick!"

Now, more than ever he was lost. _Catch who?_ What the hell is going on? He hit the up button for the elevator, but it was taking entirely too damn long to get here. The stairs were a better option. Taking off up the stairs he took them three at a time. Reaching the fourth floor he came out into the bullpen barely out of breath. He scanned the pen and noticed all their desks were empty. He thought he noticed Lanie's head in Roy's office. Just as he passed the break room Ryan was walking out of the conference room.

/

Roy Montgomery was stuck. The detectives at the 19th were working five cases and had no leads in any of them. They would be working non-stop until they solved at least two of the five. With only two teams to work 5 cases, he knew there would be no help from them anytime soon. So the Captain of the 19th hated do it but he denied his request for their team to work his homicide. This left him with no other option but assigning Esposito and Ryan to the case. He would need to assign Kate to either personal time, vacation time, or if she did start to look into it and he caught wind of it, he'd have no choice to suspend her. He hated the last option. But there was no other way around this. Sure she was the best investigator he had but if she was on the case and the brass ever found out about it, it'd be his ass on the line. He pulled out his cell and called Esposito.

"Esposito." he answered.

"Detective meet me in the lobby of the 12th. Don't waste time you need to run with this I'm 15 minutes out. I am going to give you this assignment. I don't want Beckett to know that we have this case. Oh, and make sure that your partner is with you."

"Yes, sir!" He ended the call.

Espo wanted to check something and he had a little time so he headed down to the records room. Not finding what he needed, he went back upstairs to meet his Captain. Ryan was busy with Castle and Beckett so he hoped his absence was okay with the Captain. Like clockwork, he strode into the precinct fifteen minutes later.

"Esposito, where's Ryan?"

"Sir, he is upstairs with Beckett. Castle just arrived." Just as he told him his cell rang. "Hold on Espo."

"Montgomery. Yes, no, no that's fine if I need him I'll call you back. Thanks, Lanie."

"Espo, listen you need to take this file. In it are the initial canvasses for the murder of Sofia Beckett. You need to go to Beckett's apartment and take over the scene and you and Ryan will both work this case. This has to be done by the book. No short cuts... understand me?"

"Cap, this presents so many problems. She LIVES there. Where will she live now, she can't be involved with this case and she certainly live at an active crime scene. And that's just for starters. The only concern I have right now is who would want to kill her in the first place?"

Roy places his hand on Javi's shoulder "Javi, that's your job. You need to find out who did this. As for where she will live now, I'll think of something. But I need you to go NOW! I want the CSU photos and fiber and blood evidence on my desk in two hours. Then hook up with Ryan and have him run her background."

"Yes, sir" Javi replied. He turned and left.

" _God, I hope he finds something, for Kate's sake."_ Roy thought to himself.

/

Kate was slowly coming to. The first thing she noticed was Lanie stroking her hair away from her face.

"Lanie? Where am I?" Kate said as she looked around.

"Kate, easy now. You were just given some bad news. Are you alright?"

"Yeah for the most part, where is everyone?"

/

Ryan pulled Castle back into the conference room and sat him down

"Rick, listen there's been a murder. About an hour and a half ago Kate's cousin Sofia was shot and killed. As it stands we have no information about the case or who will be working it. So I just wanted to know what's going on with you and Kate?"

"Kevin, I'm not too sure. I do love her, but she is with Demming now. All I do know is that our timing sucks."

"Yeah Rick, you're in for a surprise. Let's go see Kate."

Just as Rick and Kevin rounded the corner and entered the office Rick saw Kate lying on the couch with Lanie taking her pulse. She looked up at Castle and Ryan called out her name. "Beckett."

Kate turned her head to the side. When she looked into Rick's eyes everything came apart. He just looked deeply into her eyes and he knew that she was hurting.


	6. Chapter 6

VI

The minute he caught sight of her lying on the couch, and their eyes locked together he knew that whatever they had done to each other less than five days ago would be forgotten. The pull that drew them together was so strong he almost wanted to rush to her, draw her into his arms and never let her go again. He knew that they would never become this close. They were partners and that's all. And these descriptors were always going to define how they acted towards one another.

When her eyes locked on his ocean blues across the office, she immediately felt relief. She had her rock back standing less than six feet from her. Still she needed to explain why she did what she did and at that brief moment she felt sadness for treating him the way she did. In less time that it took her to explain her actions he could simply just walk away from her stomping her heart to pieces. She hoped he won't but and then and there she vowed never to hurt him again.

Seeing the attraction that was heavy in the room between the two, Lanie got off the couch walked past Rick and snagged Ryan's sleeve on the way out of the captain's office pulling him with her. They had an unobstructed view of each other and he went to her. He sat down on the edge of the couch, took her hand in his and looked at her tear stained cheeks.

"Kate, I know that something happened, but no one told me exactly what it was. But what happened between us last week needs to be dealt with, so let's talk about that later. I'm here for you in any way I can help... partners right?"

Kate gives his hand a gentle squeeze and agrees "Partners."

He shifts his body to pull her up to a sitting position. He draws her body towards his and she comes willingly. They embrace each other for a minute or so just so he can take her edge off. The moment passes and they move back from each other. He still has her hand in his and asks:

"Kate, tell me what happened."

She collects herself and takes her time so she can get through it all without breaking down again.

"Rick about two hours ago someone murdered my cousin Sofia. I am not sure how or why it happened, but I do know that Montgomery will ban me from this case. It's department policy. But I need to know why."

"Kate, for all it's worth, I'll help you but I think that going against Montgomery is a really bad idea. I would think that if the closest precinct doesn't take the case for whatever reason, Ryan and Espo will be assigned to it. Let's just play it close to the vest and see how they proceed."

"Okay, Rick. Can you help me up?"

Rick helps Kate up and they venture out to find Captain Montgomery. When they get to her desk they notice that Ryan is the only other detective in the bullpen. And it looks like he is getting ready to leave soon.

Curious Kate asks "Ryan, are you heading out?"

"Kate, I'm going to go to meet Javi. So the less you know the better."

"Kevin?"

"Kate, please just get yourself together. Your aunt and uncle will need your support in the next few days. Please just concentrate on you helping them right now."

Rick stood close to Kate. He knew that with the way Ryan was deflecting her questions that they were already assigned the case. He would take care of Kate after they talked to her captain, then bring her back home. When she was comfortable he would return and grill Ryan. Until then he bides his time. Thirty minutes later Roy returns back to his office. He sees Kate sitting at her desk with Castle sitting in his chair next to her. Things look and feel almost normal. Until he gets close to her and sees her face. Then the reality of the situation hits him again.

"Kate, I need a word. Rick, I need you to stay put just for the time being."

Kate looks at Rick and then to Roy. Rick nods and she's up and following him to his office.

"Kate, I have a problem. And I might have a possible solution. However you need to be on board with it."

"Go on."

"Your apartment is now a crime scene. All I am going to be able to do is allow you to pack some of your personal items, toiletries, and clothes to last for at least a month. After that, your home is off limits."

"Roy? Come on where am I going to stay. I can't afford a hotel on my salary!"

"Kate, there are alternatives. The 12th has a decent safe house over on Varrick Street."

"Seriously, have you seen that place? I wouldn't even let me goldfish live there."

Roy chuckles at her comment. "There is one other solution, but I am not sure if your agreeable to my idea because what you have together may still be in its infancy."

Roy looks to her desk where Rick is sitting. She follows his line of sight. Knowing that it will take a second or two for it to hit her. 3, 2, 1...

Bingo! "Oh come on Roy. He hates me right now. I've hurt him so badly and I really don't think that he'd offer up his home to me! Do you?"

"Kate, give the man some credit. He not only forgives, but he will never let someone suffer if he can help it. You need each other and this is the perfect solution."

Roy sticks his head out of his office and calls for Rick to come in. He enters the office.

"Rick, the NYPD needs your help. Can we count on it?"

"Of course Captain. Whatever you need."

"Not so fast Rick. Roy here is setting you up for an ambush." Kate says.

Roy gives Kate a stern look knowing that now it might be a lot harder to pitch his idea.

"Roy?" Rick questions. He can tell whatever Roy wants he is what, embarrassed, reserved? He can call a good bluff, but this...

It's Kate who speaks first. She knows that the prospect of her staying with Rick is something Roy will screw up.

"Rick, what Roy here is not trying so hard not to ask is that he has banned me from my apartment. Sofia was staying with me since last March. She was thinking about moving back to the city for good and she was looking for a job. Since she was murdered in my apartment, it's now a crime scene. He wants to know if you would consider allowing me to stay with you for about a month."

At the end of her request, Roy's features soften some. So Rick knows how hard that might have been for him to ask. The first thought that came to his mind was the fact that he never knew Sofia was living with her. How did he miss that? He thinks about what they are to each other now and his mind goes off on a different tangent. Could he be alright with her staying with him? How would what he wanted with her could possibly be something more? He didn't realize that he had been standing there for a while thinking about it when he heard Roy clear his throat. Knowing that he still did not respond to their question. Looking at the both of them he said:

"Roy, Kate can you give me a minute, I need to make a call, maybe two."

Rick turns and leaves Kate and Roy looking unsure.


	7. Chapter 7

VII

Rick Castle was nothing but courteous. He excused himself as he left the captain's office and it was then he noticed the slack jawed look on both of their faces. But now as he walked past them there were calls he needed to make, one being very serious. He looked at Roy and he knew from his poker face he could tell that he was wondering where he was going with this, but he kept silent.

Kate on the other side of the spectrum was wondering what was up as well. She thought he would jump at the chance of telling him that she could stay with him until the case was at least at a level that she could return to her place, but he just passed her by with a second thought.

Rick was trying not to show how he was feeling. He had mixed feelings about her and he could not let it show. He drew out his cell phone and dialed a number without looking at the keypad. This number had been implanted in his mind from about a year ago. He uttered one phrase:

"She is aware. The ruse is no longer viable. Fall back to the safe location. Bring all intel to this location. I'll be in touch before the day is done."

When he finished the call they were still in his office talking to each other. This was good because he did not want to explain what he was keeping from her. He ended the call and pulled up his next contact. The one that mattered more than the first call. Hitting send he waited for the call to connect. It did.

"Mother?"

"Richard? What's wrong?"

"Mom, listen Kate's apartment is now officially a crime scene. I know that you and Alexis live at the loft but I need to know if it will be a problem if she stays with us for about a months time?"

"Richard, are you seriously asking me if Kate can live in YOUR loft for thirty days?"

"Well yes mother, why else would I be calling?"

"Richard it's not me you should be asking. Immediately hang up this phone and call Alexis. Calmly explain what you are asking. Then tell her that I am in agreement with what you want to do."

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Richard mothers know about things like this. Call her!"

"Okay mom. I'll talk to you later. Goodbye."

As the both of them watched, he spoke with who they thought was his mother, he ended the call and dialed a second number. They both looked at each other with questioning looks.

"Hello, dad."

"Hello, daughter."

"What's happened now? Are you okay? Are you in the hospital? The pokey? You never call me in the middle of the day." Alexis fired questions at him like a pro.

"Alexis, everything's fine. I'm calling because I need to ask you a question."

"Okay, dad what is it?"

"You can say no because you are part of this family and you have a say in this." Rick said crossing his fingers.

"Dad out with it."

"Kate's cousin was murdered. Her home is now a crime scene and she can't stay there because of NYPD regs. So wold it be alright if she stayed with us for a month or longer if need be?"

There was only silence as he finished his request. Now while it was awkward at first, it now became more painful as the call went on. Then he heard rustling in the background.

"Dad, I guess it's okay. Are you finally going to talk to her?"

"ALEXIS! Not good. Please do not mention this again! I'll talk to her when I'm ready."

"Dad, your ready now. You should not put off the inevitable."

"Yeah, maybe your right Pumpkin. Thanks for being okay with this."

"Come on dad she is practically family."

"Thanks, Alexis. I love you."

"Right back atcha dad."

Rick ends the call and heads back to Roy's office. As he gets closer he sees that they have been watching him approach. He re-enters the office. Roy looks at Kate and they have the same looks on their faces. One of expectation.

"Well?" They both ask.

"Well, I needed to ask Alexis if it was okay that you stay with us. This impacts her as well."

"Again we ask WELL?"

"Yeah she's okay with it. I just need to swing by her school and pick her on the way back Kate."

"Rick we need to make going back to my place the priority first. After I get what I need I am not allowed to be anywhere near my place. Can we get Alexis after we do this?"

"Of course Kate. So are we ready to go?"

Roy stops Kate's forward motion and tells her...

"Kate, there will be no sneaking back to get into your place. I will have a uniform on your front door and one on the fire escape just for good measure. So don't get ANY ideas. If you defy me that I'll have no other recourse to suspend you without pay. I'm serious about this Kate. You've been warned."

"Understood Captain. Rick let's go." As Kate leads the way Rick looks over to Roy. He has a look on his face that he can't read. He knows him but apparently there is something that he is not telling him. He thinks back to his initial phone call and wonders if he knows something as well. The ride is short. As the cab pulls up to Kate's apartment Rick tells her that they need to be in and out quickly. No wasting time. Get what she needs and get out.

"Kate, do you want me to come in with you?"

"Rick I can do this faster without you touching everything in my place. I promise to be quick. Wait here?"

"Okay." She exits the cab and he watched as she climbs the steps of the stoop. She enters the building and he pulls out his phone once again. He dials the same number he did in the precinct. The call connects.

"Are you at the primary location?"

"I am." a deep baritone voice replies.

"Alright. Take all the files, set them up on the board and then run through her cousin's life. And I mean run everything! I want to know how long she was here for, when she arrived back, and if she had any contact with the alpha target. What she was supposed to be working on has no reason for her being back here in the states. How did we miss this?"

"Maybe she came in under an alias. Her passport was not flagged at any of the airports in the country."

"And yet she ends up dead here in New York."

"Listen, I'll run everything you need. When will you be able to get here?"

"That's going to be a problem."

"Why, just tell Alexis that you have a case and there's your excuse."

"Mike, Kate is staying at the loft with me. Her place is a crime scene now. Cop, Regs, get the picture?"

"Yeah you're officially screwed now."

"Shut up! I'll get there as soon as I can. Listen she's coming gotta go."

Rick ends the call just as Kate opens the door to come down the steps of her apartment. She pulls open the cab's door open and slides in alongside Rick.

"So, got everything?"

"I think so. It's hard to gauge what you need in less than ten minutes. I grabbed what I could. The only problem is that Montgomery must have called the uni there and she followed me everywhere. So I only took what I needed. _But I did manage to grab my sheer black teddy and matching panties._ She thought to herself.

Rick gave the cabby the address to Alexis' school and after they picked her up his loft was next. Before long they were at the loft.


	8. Chapter 8

VIII

Alexis, Rick and Kate waited for the elevator in the lobby. Rick was too busy thinking of reasons to give Alexis and now Kate on how he could disappear that he never noticed the elevator doors opening. Still standing in the lobby he stares and the elevator without actually seeing it.

Kate says "Rick, come on the doors won't stay open all afternoon."

Still no answer. So Alexis tries as the doors automatically close but Kate sticks her arm out to stop them.

"Earth to dad. Come in, over!"

He is still in outer space. Kate whispers something into Alexis' ear. She giggles.

"Dad, you know that Kate is a alien, right? She has twelve tentacles and this purple slime that oozes from her eyeballs to kill her prey."

Rick comes out of his daze and asks Alexis "What was that about purple something or other?"

"Never mind dad. Sometimes you are so clueless."

"Yeah sometimes." _Purple slime, come on how silly is that. All aliens have gray slime. Seriously Alexis!_

As they enter the loft they are bombarded with the great smell of cooking food. Rick's eyebrows raised. No one was supposed to be here in the loft. That was until he heard her.

"Hello Kiddo's! Just drop your bags on the floor right where you are. Dinner will be served shortly. Richard, can you please come over here?"

"Yes mother." Rick leaves Kate and Alexis and grudgingly walks over to her. He expects to see an unholy mess in the prep area and on the counter top. What he sees as he rounds the kitchen island is total organization. Everything is neat, there is no mess and food is simmering on the stove top.

"Richard, how long will Kathryn be staying with us?"

But before he can answer her the timer sounds and Martha dons the gloved oven mitts and spins away from him. She opens the confection oven and pulls out what looks like a homemade loaf of french bread. Closing the door she resets the timer and turns back to him expecting an answer. He just stands there dumbfounded.

"Well Richard?"

"Mother how?" He wonders.

"How what?" She asks.

"When did you become so proficient in the kitchen?"

"Richard, I have always been great in the kitchen, you just never let my creative side loose." She answered plainly.

Kate and Alexis just laugh and the look on Rick's face.

"Okay you two that's enough. Kate can you dress the table with a new tablecloth? And Alexis can you set the table after Kate is done?"

They both reply "Sure."

They both start the task they were assigned.

Martha once again turns away from Rick to check on what she had on the stove top. He sees a pot of noodles and a pan in the oven. She is checking the pan in the oven and decides that it is ready. She pulls it out and the aroma is amazing. Within seconds she is draining the noodles and placing them in a serving dish. The pan has what looks like beef cubes in it. He is still standing there wondering who this woman is.

"So Richard, I'm waiting"

"What, huh? Waiting for what?"

"Kathryn, how long will she be gracing us with her presence?"

"Oh that. She will be here for at least thirty days, maybe more depending."

"Depending?"

"Depending on how long it takes to solve this case."

"I see. And is she staying with you? In your bedroom?"

"Mother!? Please don't start!"

"Richard it's an honest question. One that deserves an honest answer!"

"You know that we've talked about how I feel about her. But she has Schlemming. So she's off limits. I was thinking about putting her in one of the guest rooms. Maybe next to yours."

"Hmm I see. Richard you should really open your eyes every once and a while."

Rick just stood there. What did she know? She was being secretive like she knew something he didn't.

"Alright people, dinner is served." Martha walks out the the dining room table and places what looks like beef stroganoff on the table complete with a cream based mushroom sauce. The table is set and they all sit down to eat. All that is heard are Mmmm's and Ohhhh's.

"Martha, this is amazing! All I want to know is can I have the recipe?" Kate asks.

"Gram's this is a side of you I never would have expected! I can't wait for dessert."

"That will come next. I'm afraid that beef strogonoff is a by itself meal. Other than the french bread, this is it."

Rick is just chewing away. This food is really great. He can't believe that his mother had even a shred of culinary knowledge to be able to put this together.

"Mother my compliments to you! You have simply outdone yourself!"

Rick's cell phone chimes and he pulls it out of his pocket and reads the display.

"I'm sorry but please excuse me. I need to take this in my office." He says as he rises from the table and hurriedly walks away. He waits until he closes and locks the door. Then he answers.

"Mike, what's wrong?"

"Plenty Rick. Where do you want me to start?"

"From the beginning would be the best."

"Okay, so I dug into Sofia's most recent travel movements. First, I was right she came back into the country under an alias. She flew into JFK from Charles de Gaulle about 3 months ago under the name of Peyton LeBlanc. Prior to this I can't find out where she was. If you give me a day I can track her prior to that. I just need time."

"What else?" Rick asks knowing that he won't like the answer.

"She sent files to an encrypted email account. I can't access everything yet but from what I already uncovered I think that these files are what she was going to send us before she was killed."

"That's just great. Mike keep working on the encrypted account tonight. I won't be able to get to the location tonight but I will be there sometime tomorrow. I have my hands full here tonight."

"Sure no problem Rick." Mike ends the call and Rick just sits there twirling his phone in his hand thinking. _Sofia what did you find?_

Kate and Alexis had graciously decided to clean up after the great meal they just ate. Martha was sitting at the kitchen island with a glass of wine. In no time they were finished and Kate joined Martha with a glass of red.

"He's still in there?" Martha asked.

"He is. I heard him talking. I wanted to ask him if he wanted dessert, but the door was locked."

"That's odd. The only person he does that for is Gina. Must be a business matter."

"Must be." Kate replies.

Less than two minutes Rick unlocks the office door and rejoins his mother, Kate and Alexis. He knows that he can't get away tonight so he plays it safe and stays home. They all turn as he walks up to them.

"So Gina?" Martha asks.

"Actually it was. She called to remind me that we are scheduled for a meeting with Black Pawn about the third possible Nikki Heat book." He lied. But in the end he hoped that she would forgive him.

"Rick, seriously another book? I thought the second book was the last one." Kate said.

"Who want's dessert?" Rick said trying to change the subject.

 **A/N: This is for the guest that left a review that I am not able to respond to. You know who you are. Thank you so much for leaving this review. Let me explain how this was written. Rick had no intention to go with her because he needed to make the second call. I do agree with you that she could have been written with a little more manners but it was just the way it came out. I do see your point, though. Again thank-You!**

 **P2P**


	9. Chapter 9

ΙX

Rick wondered if his distraction for dessert would work. He thought Kate had bought it, and she acted like she did. Alexis was not even caring what was going on as long as she got dessert then everything was fine. No, it was his mother that ever so slightly raised her eyebrow at him. She kept quiet because she knew that something was gong on. What exactly it was she would get out of him later. Dessert was a quiet affair until Alexis went back to the kitchen island to cut another slice of apple pie. But this time she added some vanilla ice cream to the mix. Sitting back down at the table she decided to break the silence.

"Dad, there is a program that I want to apply for. It would give my extra curricular transcript a boost to get me accepted to the collage that I choose."

"Well, what is this program?" Rick asks knowing that the way she asked him is the beginning of the end.

"It's sorta like the helping hands program. There are women and children in Cote d'Ivoire that desperately need volunteers to set up water filtration systems, administer medical aide, and build housing."

"Alexis, pumpkin, are you sure? Do you know the terrible things that have been happening there?"

"Dad I've done my research. The civil war that almost happened was years ago, The country is operating normally, well normally for what they need to deal with that is."

"And what would that be?"

"Famine, disease, and the lack of clean water."

"I personally think that this will be a growing experience for her, Richard." Martha chimes in with her opinion.

"I agree. Rick think of it this way, what if someone Alexis' age couldn't eat today or even drink clean water. Kate adds.

"Let me think about it alright Pumpkin?"

"Thanks, dad."

"Well if you excuse myself and Kate, I need to show her to the room she'll be staying in for the next month." Rick gets up and offers his arm to her. She takes it hesitantly.

They climb the stairs and as they reach the top Kate pulls Rick closer to whisper something into his ear. _"Rick I know this is not the time or the place but we need to have a serious conversation."_

Rick thinks back to the desert comment he made earlier and now he's sweating bullets knowing that she knows he lied.

"We do? What could be so important Kate?"

"Let's just sleep on it and we can talk tomorrow. Remember I am not in the rotation since Montgomery pulled me from this case and there have been no recent body drops. So I'm off until further notice or aa body drops which ever comes first."

"Okay Kate. Since the second room next to where my mom stays is doubling as a storage room I'm going to give you this room." Rick swung the door open and it was immense. Immense wasn't the word for it. It was gigantic. There was a king sized bed and she wondered if there were 1000 count Egyptian sheets on the bed. Sitting couch, desk, 3 dressers and matching nightstands.

"Rick, are you sure you want me to take this room?" Kate asked shyly.

"Kate it's settled. Since your apartment is now an active crime scene where else will you go? Seriously, I don't want you to feel like an outsider. As of now you're part of our family. So get used to it. I'll let you settle in. If you need anything my you know where my room is just knock."

Kate walks to him and gives him a very heartfelt hug. The hug goes on for longer than it should and he can't believe this but he is getting just a little aroused by her gesture. Realizing that he won't be able to control himself he pushes away from her. He hated to do it but he still is a gentleman however.

"Until tomorrow Kate."

Kate looks crushed but he could not let his feelings for her manifest into something further because she was still with Schlemming. He was not that kind of man.

"Good night Rick." She turned and entered the room then closed the door.

Now he hated what was to transpire next. He just made it to the foot of the stairs and that's when it all started. The wrath of Martha Rodgers.

"So kiddo, are you going to tell me who was really on the phone earlier in your office? Because I know damn well that is was not Gina you were talking to?"

"I plead the 5th. The less you know the better mother."

"Richard what's really going on here? Don't try to pull the wool over my eyes. I've heard it all, now out with it."

Rick thinks about how much he want's to let her in on. Her knowing what he knows could put her in danger. So he decides to keep it to himself for now.

"Mother let's just say that with what's going on now, you're better off not knowing because it will cost you a hefty price if you knew anything. So, for now, my lips are sealed."

"Keep this bottled up inside you and you will get an ulcer! I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning...maybe!" Martha said threateningly.

"Fine. Just know that I sleep with one eye open! Rick countered.

"Ugggh men!"

As he heads to his room he thinks about placing a call to Mike to see how far he got with the destinations Sofia was in recently. As he looked at his watch it was past 1 in the morning. Mike said he would be at it far into the night and while he wants to get some news he will wait for later in the morning. He will be able to acquire more information if he waits. So he starts his nightly routine. Finishing he pulls back the comforter and gets into bed. He tries to sleep but all he can think about is Kate pressed against his body. Soon he gives into sleep, but he does so with a faint smile on his face.


	10. Chapter 10

X

Her stomach was in knots. She entered her bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed trying to decide if she should call her. Sofia was murdered so she could lead with that or she could let her know that Rick was getting into something evil as well. The consequences of her actions for lack of not doing anything would cause problems so she needed to act. Still, she hesitated. Maybe she should wait. She surely would have heard about Sofia by now and that, in turn, would have warranted a call from her. It should but there was no word from her.

Xx

Rick woke to a soft knock on his door just as he felt himself falling off to sleep. Temporarily forgetting where he was he looked around to get his bearings. The knock came again. But this time, there was a whisper accompanying it. "Rick?"

"Come on in Kate."

The door opens and in she walks. She is a vision, but even his sleep deprived brain can see that there's something wrong.

"Kate?" Castle asks hesitantly.

"Did I wake you, Rick?"

"Well, I was only checking my eyelids for cracks so nope. What's wrong Kate? You know that you can talk to me... right?"

"I do. And I appreciate that." Kate swallows and tries to tell him about her and Tom.

"Rick I know that I'm going to mess up what I want to say, so try to bear with me okay?"

"Sure Kate. Geez, this must be serious if you're asking me to be nice."

Kate smiles at his comment and takes his hand in hers then she places her other hand on top of them both. Collecting her thoughts she starts.

"Rick, I have a confession to make to you. Remember when you wanted to take me out to the Hamptons for Memorial day weekend?"

"I do." Rick wonders where this will be going.

"Well, I might have used Tom to make you jealous. And it _was_ my intention. When I watched you with Gina, I was hurt, Rick. My heart was breaking. I felt my walls coming down right before she arrived and I was going to accept your offer but no sooner than you put your arm around her and said that you were taking her to the Hamptons those walls started to build back up. Now they are stalled from the construction because you invited me to live with you for a while."

Rick looks at her. In a way, he can see her point of view and the courage it had taken her to admit this to him. There are many questions he want's to ask but leads with

"Kate, what changed?"

Kate looks him in the eyes hoping he can see how serious she is as she tells him.

"We ended it. He had a feeling that I was using him to get back at you and he called me on it."

"I should be happy. Now while I can see that you are no longer involved with him it feels like a loss on my part. Kate, I asked so you many times to come with me. And then when you practically shoved him in my face what was I to think?"

"I know Rick, I know. I just wanted to explain what happened between me and Tom. This way maybe you can forgive me?"

"Kate, it's not that easy. I'm happy that you are happy now. We never can seem to get our asses on the same page and its tiring. I'm tired. You know that I did have feelings for you don't you?"

Kate feels the blood flooding into her cheeks and she drops her head her blush not to be noticed by him. But the way he said it, it seemed like he was using the phrase in past tense. Her heart is on the verge of breaking once again.

"Did, Rick?"

"My bad, let me rephrase that. I do have feelings for you, Kate." Rick explains.

"What should we do now Rick?"

"Kate let me think about everything you told me. I'm not saying no, but I'm not saying yes either."

"That's fair Rick. I'm going to go back to bed. Good night Rick." Kate turns away from him, but before she can take a step he grasps her hand and she stops mid step.

"Kate, we will find our way. Just give me some time okay? I promise that it will be worth the wait."

Never turning back she nods her head because the lump in her throat and the tears that are falling prevent her from speaking. He releases her a second later and she walks away from him back to her room.

Xx

Thirty minutes later she is still trying to decide what to do. The phone is in her hand, the number engraved in her head. She is only one person, she hoped that she would not need to get in this deep but the way her son is acting, it looks like he has just slapped the hornets nest and he expects not to be stung. So she needs to step up and protect his ass. Someone will need to be held responsible and because she values her life it will be a cold day in hell if she gets blamed for any this.

She hears footsteps and throws the covers off of her and rushes quietly to her door. After cracking it just a little she sees Kate walking across the loft from Rick's office. Her eye following her, she sees that she looks like she was crying she wonders what's going on with these two. She knows that they belong together, why can't they see this? Watching Kate ascend the stairs she waits until her door is closed and closes her own door to her room and gets back into bed. She picks up her phone off the bed and her thumb hovers over the number she entered. It's like the phone is taunting her to push the send button. She waits for a second and then makes the decision. She presses the button and the call in made. She waits while the phone rings hoping that she can leave a voice mail. She would have better luck playing the lottery. On the 5th ring, the call connects. The woman on the other end sounds short, and a little mad at receiving a call from her.

"You better have a damned good reason to be calling me!"


	11. Chapter 11

XI

A phone call was the last thing she thought she would ever get. Especially from Martha. Pressing the phone closer to her ear she listened as Martha was going a mile a minute. She didn't even think she stopped to breathe. Her time here in what was the old Soviet block was now rapidly coming to an end. She had overstayed her welcome by years. She was gathering information on many different groups that were a threat to the United States. Which she sadly found out were many. So she listened to Martha but not really hearing her.

"Martha, slow down. You are talking in one long big sentence. Take a breath and start over again so I can understand you."

Martha did what she was told. She just wanted to get everything out in one breath.

"Okay, start from the beginning, and concentrate, alright?"

"Sofia was murdered three days ago." Martha sadly said.

"Go on..."

"Richard had insisted that Kate move in with us fearing the her safety. Her place is now a crime scene and she can't stay there. The NYPD has banned her from living there."

"Okay continue..."

Martha really does not want to tell her the next bit of news fearing it could destroy everything that this person has done since she has left.

"I'm not so sure that this will be easy for you to hear. Richard has found a link to what you're doing and Sofia. He's getting too close to finding out where are you are and who you are."

Martha, this is unacceptable! He can never find out who I am! I have been so careful and I'm not going to loose everything that we worked so hard for. You of all people should know how important this is! Do whatever is necessary to stop him. Short of killing him I mean... Just kidding."

Martha thought to herself for a minute, and she had one more topic to raise.

"Richard has Mike running Sofia's last known whereabouts before she was murdered. Was she with you at anytime? Because if she was he will have a location to pinpoint your general location. And if I know Richard he will either send Mike or go himself. They won't stop until they find you."

"And you know this how?"

"He received a call during dinner and he went into his office. Usually he takes the mundane calls while we are there. He told us that is was Gina. This one was something else. When he returned I could see that he was trying to find a way in that big head of his to excuse himself so he could find out what Mike had found. I know for a fact that he was lying, because Gina is out of the country. She has no cell service where she is."

"Martha, you need to find out what he knows. This is important. I can't stress how important. He might have an alias, but he does not that it's me. To him I'm only a name, he has no description to go by. Rely on your training and find out. They can't be sucked into this with us. There is to much risk here, trust me when I tell you that they will be next if we don't stop these groups."

"I understand. Can I call you with an update in two days at this same time?"

"I expect it! Thank you Martha for keeping them safe for me."

"You're welcome Johanna." Martha said feeling like the weight was squarely on her shoulders now.

The call was ended and still Martha held her cell phone held in a death grip. She needed to get some sleep because later this morning was going to prove to be a very busy day. Drawing her bedsheets up to her neck she got comfortable in bed and fell off to sleep.

Xx

As Kate laid in bed she wondered if she was right in telling him about Demming and their now non existing relationship. Sure he had expected him to be resentful, but to her he was distant. It's like he had given up. Now all she could do is try to get some sleep. Was he thinking about her? Did he still have feelings for her? God she was a wreck.

When the door to his bedroom closed on his early morning visitor, he got up and headed to his bathroom. He knew that he was not going to get any more sleep tonight. He splashed cold water on his face to get himself free of what was his short nap before Kate came to him. Deciding that he was two chapters behind on his book and he knew he would get a phone call any day now from Gina, chastising him for missing his deadline. He decided to pull an all nighter and write. He walked into his office and sat in his chair. Opening his laptop he pulled up a new document and started typing.

Sometime around 3:30 his phone buzzed. He was so into his zone that he never heard it. It was only the call of nature that alerted him to a text from Mike when he came back to finish up his latest chapter. Picking up his cell he read with apprehension the locations that Mike had found out Sofia had been to. After reading the extremely long list of locations she had been to, he noticed the message from Mike at the end.

" _ **Rick, Sofia had been in contact with some deadly, ruthless people. From the looks of it, I'd say that they could be targeting anyone she knew. This will put Kate at risk for her life. We need to talk sooner then later. Mike."**_

Rick sat at his desk and thought. Sofia was into more than working for a company that provider an interpreter. Sure she had free rein to travel where they would send her, but in the back of his mind she used this to cover what she was really doing. He still needed to find out what. This was not going to end well.

Looking still at the phone in his hand he shot Mike a quick text and told him he would meet with him by 11 am at their usual location. After sending the text he noted the time on the phone. 4:47 am. Without thinking anything else he saved the fourth chapter of the three he wrote tonight. Closing the laptop and sliding it into the bottom desk drawer of his desk stood up and headed out to start breakfast.

Alexis was the first to wake up at 6: 30 and he offered her a cup of coffee as she stepped up to the breakfast nook.

"Your usual?" He asked. All he got for a yes was a nod.

"Dad, how did Kate do last night?"

"What do you mean, pumpkin?"

"Well, since her cousin had just been murdered she might have had a bad nightmare. And to me she looked a little peaked that's all."

Rick kept forgetting how entwined his daughter was with Kate. They shared moments together, most he had not been privy to. With all that was going on, he never thought to consider how Sofia's death had impacted her. It was something that he would address after breakfast.

"You know how Kate is, right? She does not let on to other people when something is bothering her, well not right away at least. But since you're concerned I'll talk to her later about Sofia's death."

"Thanks, dad! Now how about some scrambled eggs?"

"Coming right up!" He responded.

Martha came down dressed and ready to go. This was odd even for her. She never got up with the sunrise. Rick was curious now. She was hiding something and he needed to know what.

"Morning mother." Rick said happily.

"Richard. Yes it is morning, how observant of you."

"So, off to somewhere? Want something to eat?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but yes. I have an early class to teach this morning! And I'll pass on the breakfast."

Rick knew that she had no class to teach this morning. Her studio was still in the agonies of being remodeled. She had made that fact perfectly clear when she talked about buying the place a week ago. And her hemming and hawing about how to decorate the place.

"Are you sure I can't interest you in some eggs and toast? You know they say that breakfast is the most important meal."

"No that's quite alright darling. Good bye Alexis. I'm off! Ta Ta."

Martha left like a strong wind, the ony sound that Alexis and Rick heard was the slamming of the front door.


	12. Chapter 12

VII

After the door sounded its closure from his mother's swift departure, Rick's mind went into overdrive. In it, his thoughts were swimming. He had Alexis and Kate with him at the loft and he could leave with an excuse they might believe but he needed to think this out. His mother worried him. She was into something more than just acting and shopping. So he shoved that thought on the back burner for now. He had more pressing thoughts to address. Mike would be at the office and from there they could talk freely. Now he just needed an excuse.

Kate had woke with the slamming of the front door. She looked at the alarm clock and it was 8:27 in the morning. After her talk with Rick, she slipped into a tear-filled sleep. Somewhere around four, she had a terrible nightmare. She was dreaming that Sofia was back from her trip but she was only going to stay for one day in the city at her place and then head out to another country for her much-needed interpretation skills. She was standing in the kitchen with the refrigerator door open looking for something to eat. Without warning, someone had struck her in the head with of all things a frying pan. She fell forward into the fridge and the wound cut deep into her head bled profusely. After falling to the floor she died from a fractured skull. It's then when Kate woke and tried to recall the events leading to her demise in her dream, but the memory fades quickly. Falling back asleep again she wakes to the slamming door.

She hears footsteps coming up the stairs and sits up. There is a knock on the door and Alexis asks if she is up.

"Kate? Are you awake?" She asked nervously.

"I am Alexis, please come in."

The door opens and Alexis enters choosing the side of the bed that Kate is closest to. She sits and looks at her.

"Dad is worried about you and if you're okay with Sofia's passing."

"Alexis, are you sure it's not you who's worried?"

"No, honest, Dad is really worried. I might have suggested to him that you might be upset, but..." As Kate shows her a concerning look Alexis stops mid-sentence.

"Alexis sweetie, it's fine to be concerned about me. Yes, I am sad that Sofia is gone and these nightmares will eventually fall from my subconsciousness. But I take one day at a time. Don't worry I'll be okay."

Xx

"Mike, I have an idea on how to get out of the loft. I need you to call me in 15 and say that you're the attorney from Black Pawn. Your ruse is that I have two contracts that are about to expire and need to be renewed. That should buy us at least 4 hours."

"Sure Rick, counting down starting now." Rick slides the call bar to end. Kate and Alexis are just coming down the stairs now and he ducks down below the counter top line to pocket his phone and retrieve the waffle maker. Standing up he sees Kate.

"Waffles?" He asks.

"Sure, Rick. Do you have any fresh strawberries?"

"I'm sure I can find some. Anything else?"

"No that's fine. Thanks."

Rick settles in to make her waffles. Everything is from scratch and soon the smell of cooking waffles fills the kitchen. Rick sets up Kate with utensils, a napkin and a glass of OJ. He removes the waffle from the iron and slides it towards her.

"Ohhh I forgot two things. Be right back!" He turns away in a flurry. When he returns he sets a small plate of fresh sliced strawberries and a cup of coffee next to her.

"Thanks, Rick! Kate tells him happily.

"Always, Kate."

No sooner than Rick was forearm deep in washing the morning dishes his phone rings.

"Kate, would you be a doll and answer that for me, my hands are otherwise occupied."

Kate picks up his phone and answers courteously. "Richard Castles phone."

Kate listens to the man on the other end. After 5 seconds she says "Yes, hold on please."

"Rick, it's an attorney from Black Pawn. Something about publishing contracts that need to be renewed." Kate holds out the phone for him to take.

Rick dries his hands and takes the phone.

"Hello, Andy?" Rick listens for about a minute and states "I thought those contracts were 2 years in duration?"

More silence on Rick's end.

"No, I understand I can be there by 11. He tells the imaginary "Andy" as he ends the call.

"Kate, will you be alright with me heading down to Black Pawn to sign these new contracts?"

"Yeah, Rick. I'll just read or find something else to keep myself occupied."

"Thanks, Kate. Make yourself at home."

Rick heads to his room to shower and shave. Twenty minutes later he is set to meet with Mike. On the way out he reminds Kate that he is only a phone call away. Leaving, his mind goes back to his mother.

Xx

Mike was waiting for Rick to arrive. He had finished most of the leg work and stepped back to put some semblance of Sofia's last and final visits.

Rick arrives at the office building he owns in Chelsea. He parks and calls the elevator. In no time he is stepping out onto the 17 floor. The elevator door opens and he walks directly across the hallway and uses his magnetic card to get in. His daughter and mother know nothing about his building, it's safer that way. He walks up to Mike who is deeply studying the board unaware of his arrival. Gently, not to spook him he lays his hand on Mike's shoulder. He turns face to face with Rick.

"Rick, there is more going on here than where she was last." Mike admits.

"She started out in London, stayed there for a week then moved onto South Korea, why I have no idea. She spent four days in the village of Gunwi, in the province of Gyeongbuk. Then she left for Tajikistan. Then I lost her. But after using facial recognition I reacquired her when she flew into Amman Jordan. There she spent about three weeks. Leaving about two months ago, from there she went to Kandikulua Russia. Spending a bulk of her time there for just about two months, she caught a flight to Paris and then back to the states."

Rick studies the map that Mike had hung with the locations Sofia had been to.

"Mike, when she left Paris, how long did she stay there?"

"She spent about 18 hours there. I think that she was only waiting for her connecting flight home."

"Do you have anything concrete for addresses?"

"I have from she left JFK about 4 months ago. Then I have her arriving in London the next day. I had to hack the Metropolitan Police Department's street camera network and I have a location narrowed down to a 4 block radius. As for South Korea and Tajikistan, they are both dead ends. I can't access the video surveillance for a communistic country. Tajikistan is mostly mountains and the village she was in has only about 51 people living there. Amman was the only city I was able to find an exact location. She was at 1463 Al-Moujeb Street. I was not able to hack into the network, but it's either a warehouse or large building."

"Okay. Concentrate on her time in Russia, and Jordan. If nothing turns up then dig deeper into her other locations."

"Rick, there's more."

"Damn, there's always a catch."

"Yeah, but this one is epic."

"Well, let's hear it." Rick solemnly asks.

"When she arrives at Charles De Gaulle, during her screening process she was flagged for gun powder residue. Now the technology used now picks up the smallest trace of gunpowder. She might not have been firing a weapon, but she could have easily transferred some residue onto her clothes by just coming in contact with someone who has."

"What was the outcome?"

"She was detained for two hours and then released for her flight after her luggage was re-checked."

"Mike, add Paris to your list of addresses we need to find. There's something about Paris we're not getting."

Xx

Esposito had returned back to the crime scene. He nodded to the uniform who was still posted and Beckett's front door. Entering he crossed the threshold and got to work. Surveying the scene he made notes in his pad of his findings. Ryan arrived not too long after he did. Together they worked for about three hours. Satisfied they returned back to the twelfth. Montgomery was the first to see them. He vigorously waved his arm requesting that they see him.

"Detective, let's have it." Montgomery wanted answers and he wanted them now.

"Straight forward Sir?"

"Brutally..."

"Sofia Beckett was killed by someone she knew. Her murderer used this to his or her advantage. We are positive that this was not some random event. Also, the method he or she used to kill her indicates that he is either a hired gun or a former special Op's member and they were proficient in up close work. Cap, her throat was slit and this guy went so deep into her throat that he nicked her C-3 vertebra."

From a standing position, Montgomery falls back into his desk chair. Places his face in his hands and only utters one phrase.

"Beckett NEVER hears about this."


	13. Chapter 13

XIII

Information. People live by it, other people die from it, some pay exorbitant amounts of money to possess it. The problem with most information is that the person who holds it, is the one holding all the cards. Nine times out of ten, the person who has this information to sell or trade sometimes only lets small facts be known. Thus compromising the person who is receiving said information.

Long ago, Johanna Beckett has been the recipient of such information. She thinks back to how badly she acted on the lack of information she received. During her research of her current client Joe Pulgatti, she quickly realized that he was actually telling her the truth. He was innocent. So, she was determined to be his voice. She endlessly defended his innocence to the higher courts. People were taking notice of her plight.

The problem was that the wrong people were noticing. She was approached by one such person late in the night and he explained how they needed her fact finding skills and her drive to find justice at work for them. At first, she brushed him off. Telling him to leave. He did, but the very next night he returned with a proposition. To sway her decision she would be brought in at an entry level position with the NSA. She had the drive to help her country from any and all enemies. Her training would be completed within nine months and from there she would cease to exist. She would just fall off the grid and leave everything behind. That was the compromise. He gave her 48 hours to decide.

Johanna thinks back to what a huge mistake this had all been. Her family was her life. Sure she had excelled with her training, then advanced to become the third highest ranking agent within the NSA. The agent who came to recruit her told her that she could always keep an eye on them, but she could never contact them. She had a lot to think over. So after weighing all the pros and cons she decided to go ahead and take the offer. She thought about how much more she could accomplish if she had this job. She was inducted in January 1999. She had read the small sidebar article on the 9th page of the NY Post about her "death" she was appalled at how her life had meant so little. The agent who recruited her only shrugged his shoulders and that was the last she ever saw of him.

She thinks back to the last eleven years and how wrong it was to take this job. Sure she had solid intel on her family but hearing about them and actually seeing them well they're two sides of the same coin. That was what Sofia was doing the night she was killed. She was in NYC for a total of two days and she was going to check up on Katie for her. Now somewhere along the way Sofia attracted a tail in either France towards the end of her trip or she had her tail ever since she landed in London 3 months ago. If that's the case then Johanna has some files and equipment to eradicate before she is found.

Xx

Martha is sitting in Penn Station of all places. The hustle and bustle of the terminal always calms her. Seeing other people rush around solving their problems makes her problems seem not so pressing. She thinks back to what her instructor had told her.

" _Martha, while there are some times in life that the situation seems dire, take a step back and reevaluate the situation and then make a decision."_

Martha remembers on previous missions when his wisdom helped her. If it did then, it sure will now. She thinks back to when her son had started acting weird towards her and Alexis. Alexis is such a daddy's girl, but that's where it ends She thinks he's just a writer. He has nothing to do with any government agency. He is good she'll give him that. She has been trying to find out which agency he is with but he has stayed elusive from her. Then she thinks back to Agent Gray. He has popped up at the most inopportune moments. So she thinks back. It's then when a piece of the puzzle comes together. She rises from the booth on the concourse and exits out onto 8th ave and hails a cab.

"Where to lady?" The gruff cabbie asks Martha.

"So-Ho to start off with. If I don't find what I'm looking for then maybe north towards Chelsea."

"You got it!" The cab pulls into traffic.

Martha found little to solve her puzzle in So-Ho. Now they were in Chelsea driving up West 17th street. She called out to the cabbie to slow down and pull off to the left side of the street and park. She eyed the black Mercedes Benz S63 parked on the right side of the street. It was his. She noticed the parking sticker for the loft on his left rear window. Her patience paid off. Twenty minutes later he exited the building and left in his car.

"Well, lady?" The cabbie asks hopefully.

"Follow that Mercedes!" The cabbie tells her "I've always wanted to hear someone tell me that!"

Xx

Rick knew parking on the street for the second visit was risky, but Mike needed important information and so he parked on the street instead of parking in the underground garage. He looks in the rear-view mirror and it's then he notices that he has a cab parking behind him he knew he had been made. He could hit the gas and take off or face the music. He decides to do the honorable thing and wait for his mother. As she walks up to the side of his car she taps on the car's window. He rolls it down and she says:

"Richard we need to have a little chat!"

"Yes, mother." Martha gets in and he drives to a safe location knowing that this conversation will be one for the record books.

They arrive at yet another building near Kips Bay and Rick helps his mother out of the car. They nod to the doorman as they enter the lobby. Reaching the elevators he calls one to the lobby. The doors open and they get on. The ride is short and they are both sipping on a very expensive red wine sitting in an office on the 10th floor.

"Richard, how long did you hope to keep this a secret?" Martha asks.

"Whatever do you mean mother?"

"Richard knock it off. The time for joking about these two problems has long since passed." Martha adds angrily.

"Mom, I'm not sure how you found me, but I know that you did it by just by being in the right place at the right time."

"RICHARD! That is another subject, one which we will discuss later. I want to know what you know about Sofia's murder. And don't give the NYPD PR bullshit schmooze, I've heard that already."

Rick looks at his mother and again he sees that she is hiding something from him. So he reluctantly gives her what he has been doing for the last four years with Kate and up until the day Sofia was murdered.

"So Richard, when are you going to tell Kathryn you are an agent for the CIA?"

"Mother! Not so loud, I don't think everyone heard you in the next office. I should ask you the same, when are you going to tell everyone your secret?" Rick asked hoping she would at least tell him.

"In due time Richard, in due time." They both get up, placing the empty wine glasses on the counter and leave the privacy of the office and head back to the loft.


	14. Chapter 14

XIV

Martha knew her son was right. She knows now that she has to finally admit that she works for the NSA, to everyone involved She needed to contact Johanna to tell her what she found out about Sofia from her son. She doesn't mind telling them, it's just that she feels that she will be betraying her core values as an agent if she does. So she decides that for right now her son will be the only one she lets in on who she works for.

As she walks down the block towards the loft she thinks about what she needs to do about her son. He needs to explain his dual roles that are infused within the confines of his life. She knows that agent Gray is most likely his contact with the FBI, but she is lost on who could be his handler within the CIA. Mike is his tech guru. He knows a lot and while he is good at what he does, he is only an information agent at best. What she fears the most is when Kathryn finally finds out the truth of what he actually does. He has been working with her for the last two years and he has not told her anything other than he is a mystery writer. This will all change this afternoon.

Sitting on a bar stool at the breakfast nook Kate was thinking that she was in the dark with so many of her emotions. She loved Rick unconditionally, this she knew. But he was acting superficial, distant even. When she told him about her breakup with Demming the other night in his room, she thought that he would be pulling her into his arms telling her that he would give "them" a chance. Boy was she ever sadly mistaken. She really needed to get him alone so they could have a serious talk. Before she could finish her train of thought the front door to the loft swung opened and in waltzed Martha. She was not immediately aware of her surroundings as she walked in. Heading towards the nook she startled and turned pale as she noticed Kate sitting there.

"Kathryn, what a joy it is to see you here."

"Martha, you do know that Rick has invited me to stay here…right? Where else would I be without a case? I've been sidelined from working remember."

Martha thought for some time before responding. Since it was too long the detective in Kate Beckett noticed.

"Martha, what's wrong?" Kate asked wanting an answer.

"Kathryn, whatever are you talking about?"

"Martha, you're keeping something from me."

"Phish, posh my dear. I'm not keeping anything from you. Why on earth would you think that?"

"You are not as good of an actress as you think you are because the guilt is written all over your face."

Just as Martha was going to defend her actions, the loft door opens once again and Rick walks in. He sees the look of guilt on his mother's face and then he sees Kate's face which does not look happy, maybe really pissed off. So he stops mid-step to try to gauge Kate's discomfort. He thinks that his mother has told her who he is and what he has done. Without thinking, he starts…

"Kate, can you come with me into my office please?"

Martha finally putting it all together says…

"Richard, there's no need to be jumping to conclusions here. Can I have a word with you before you speak to Kathryn?"

Rick turns around and tells her "Mother, this needs to be done. She needs to know who I am. I gather that you have kept quiet on the subject correct?"

Martha just nods her head.

"Then I'm off. Wish me luck."

In a whisper, Martha says " _Good Luck!"_

Kate has taken up residence in the leather chair opposite his desk. He walks in and sits at his desk. Now's the time to get this off his chest. He looks up at her and waits until he sees her returning his gaze.

"Kate, there are things about me that you don't even know about. And these things could end up putting you in a life or death situation." Rick pauses letting this sink in.

"Come on Rick, stop pulling my leg. Everyone knows that you're this notorious page six playboy. You write mystery novels for a living. What kind of life or death situation could you possibly get me into that I could not get out of myself?"

This going to be harder than he thought.

"Kate that's my cover. It is the one thing that keeps unsuspecting agents finding out who I really am."

"Rick, you're starting to scare me now. What's going on?"

"Kate since I've been shadowing you for the last two years, and actually for the 6 years before that I have been an active agent with the CIA." Rick waited for her to throw something at his head in anger. When nothing collided with his head he took a chance to look over to her. What he was seeing was her laughing lightly.

"Rick, come on be serious. The CIA?" now Kate started to really laugh, that was until Martha walked into his office.

"Richard you must tell her. She needs to know everything. While you're doing that I need to make a call. I'll be right back. Tell her NOW!"

Kate just looked at the both of them wondering what the hell was going on here.

Martha walked out of the office and pulled her cell phone from her back pocket. She needed to update Johanna with what was going on with Sofia's murder and what Rick was telling her daughter at the moment. She hit the saved number and the call connected.

"Martha? Is everything alright?" Johanna was worried.

"Jo, listen Rick is now telling Kate that he is an agent with the CIA. Then he will tell her what he has found out about Sofia's travels and then ultimately her death. Have you figured out if she had a tail before of after she went to see you?"

"It was definitely after she left here. She was being surveilled when she arrived in Paris or shortly thereafter being held over there for those 18 hours after setting off the alarm for the gunpowder residue. My guess is that whoever it was tailing her was the person who killed her. Either way, I am just about finished wrapping everything up here. My final report for the intel of these splinter groups will be sent to the joint chiefs. These splinters are acting on their own accord without any authority from the main terrorist cell."

"Jo, I am going to have to tell Kate that I am an NSA agent. I won't tell her anything about you and what you're doing there. That's for you to handle."

"Thanks, Martha. I understand. She needs to hear it from me."

Ending the call Johanna Beckett knew that this was going to be hard. One of the hardest things she will ever do.

Martha walked back into her son's office and she watched Kathryn for any signs of disbelief. When she raised her head to see who had entered the office, Martha noticed her tears cascading down her face. She looked to her son and all he did was give a nod, informing her that she was told everything.

"Kathryn, I am not a believer in someone who delivers more than one can handle, but there's something else you need to know about me. And I think that you can understand what I'm going to tell you."

Kate looks up, wipes her cheeks with the hankie that Rick gave her and nodded for her to continue not trusting her voice.

"Kathryn, I am an agent with the NSA. I have been for quite some time now. For my initial mission, I was tasked with finding out information involving the hostages in Beirut back in 1985 aboard TWA flight 847. We lost a Navy diver by the name of Robert Stethem. He was only 23. We found later that Mohammed Ali Hamadi was involved and he is now serving a life sentence in Germany. He was caught with the information that I recovered."

"Kate, are you okay?" Rick asked.

Kate just wiped her cheeks and eyes once again, looked at the both of them opened her mouth to say something but then closed it without saying a word. She then stood up and left his office not once looking back.

When she was far out of earshot Rick said: "Well I think that went well."

"Richard you can be so naïve at times." Martha says as she too leaves the office.


	15. Chapter 15

XV

Alexis was sitting at the kitchen counter studying for her chem final. Her head lifted when she heard Kate walk quickly and then start to run from her dad's office. She expected her Grams and dad to follow quickly behind her, but since no one came running after her she took the initiative to investigate on her own. She watched as Kate ran up the stairs to the second floor and into her room.

She got up off the bar stool and made her way to Kate's room. Not wanting to be rude she knocked softly but heard nothing in response. She knocked again and twisted the door knob pushing the door open just a crack. What she saw was heartbreaking. There Kate was sitting at the side of her bed on the floor crying quietly.

Alexis was wise beyond her years. While she was still a teenager she possessed the emotional restraint of a thirty-year-old.

"Kate, can we talk?" Alexis said hoping her intrusion was okay with the detective.

"Sure Alexis, come in and take a seat."

Alexis let out a soft laugh knowing that the floor was a good place as any to talk to her.

"Kate, what happened down there?"

"Alexis, right now I'm not entirely sure. Do know what it feels to be left in the dark?"

Alexis just gives Kate an understanding look.

"Yeah, I know. Dad does it to me all the time. Tabloids you know."

"Sorry, I forgot that he tries to shield you from that part of his life. What I mean is, when you think you know a person and then everything you thought you knew about this person turns out to been a circus act."

"Circus act? Kate what are you talking about? What circus act?"

"Alexis I have a better idea. Please come with me."

Kate offers Alexis her hand to get up and then does not release it. For Kate, holding her hand grounds her for what she will be doing next. They leave her room and head back downstairs. She wants answers and she'll get them. With a new found attack plan she calls Rick out.

"RICK, MARTHA front and center NOW!"

Alexis is now really scared. Kate has never yelled at her Grams or her dad for that matter. She wants to hide somewhere safe, but Kate is still holding her hand.

Rick and his mother enter the living room and Rick notices that Kate has a tight grip on Alexis' hand squeezing ever so tightly. They sit down, Martha in the love seat and Rick on the couch. Kate decides to keep standing. Not a word is said and Rick can tell that Kate is working what she wants to say in her head.

"Rick, believe me when I tell you this. I care about you and your family. Your daughter and I are close, actually closer than I could have ever thought. I don't want to lose this. You and I are on the verge of becoming something great. Now whatever might happen between us remains to be seen yet. If we can actually be together, I don't to start this relationship based on a pack of lies. We deserve to be honest with each other. And Martha has been there when I needed a mother figure to vent problems to. Now I find out that you're an agent with the CIA and Martha works for the NSA. I know that I might be a little slow on the uptake but I need more of an explanation than what you gave me in your office."

"Kate, alright here it is. I'm not actually an agent per se I am more of an analyst.

"So what Castle, you're not some kind of, licensed to kill super spy?

"No Kate, that would be my dad."

"Wait, I thought you said you didn't know who your dad was."

Rick was now feeling the wrath of his partner, and he doesn't like where this conversation will be going. So he sarcastically tells her:

"Oh, and what do I tell anyone who asks me who my father is?" "My father is top CIA operative who's been the one man who's stopped countless assassination attempts on foreign and domestic VIP's?"

"Really Rick?

"He won't confirm or deny anything I've just said but yeah."

"Is there anyone in your family who's not a spy? How about Alexis."

"Now do be silly. She's still in high school and let's face it, she's never been able to keep a secret." Rick says trying to lighten the mood. His face drops when he thinks _Of course, when she finds out about what he knows about Sophia, she'll likely shoot me.  
_  
Alexis looks at him as if she wants to kill him.

Kate who notices Alexis' looks to kill says:

"Alexis, don't worry sweetie, I will always trust you."

"Thanks, Kate." She gives Kate's hand a gentle squeeze in response.

"So Martha, what do you have to add?" Kate asks the Castle matriarch.

"Kathryn, what Richard is telling you is the truth. I only found out that he was with the CIA a short time ago. I had my feelings about his involvement, however I still don't know what he honestly does for them. Martha answers truthfully.

"Kate really I'm only an analyst. I gather intel on various assignments and relay that information to the agents who can use it to stop heinous acts from happening against the US."

"Rick, I still have one last matter to ask about."

"What's that Kate?" Knowing where she is going with this line of questioning he knew it was going to be a topic he wouldn't like.

"What do you know about my cousin Sofia's murder?"

 _And there it is!_

Rick takes a second knowing what Kate had said earlier about starting a relationship built on lies and decides to come clean and tell her everything.

"Where do you want me to start?"

"From the beginning, please Agent!" She replied sternly.

"Well, your cousin was murdered by who we think was following her from Paris. At the present time, we don't have an ID on who that could be. She had been to at least four or five countries that we know about, but maybe more in the last 3 or 4 months. She was using her job as a translator/interpreter to cover her movements overseas. She was looking into something while she was there what we still have no idea. We do know that she was flagged at Charles De Gaulle airport 18 hours before she returned back home."

"She was flagged? What for?"

"She was stopped because she was recently in contact with gunpowder residue."

"Rick, where was she, I mean what places did she visit when she was abroad?"

Rick visibly squirmed on the couch feeling uneasy knowing that he needed to tell her.

"Kate she had visited London, a small village named Gunwi in South Korea, then somewhere in Tajikistan, then onto Amman, Jordan and her last stop before Paris was in a town called Kandikulua, Russia."

Kate's face went sheet white losing all color immediately. Martha and Rick noticed at the same time, only Martha knew why. Rick was not so sure if he should ask her why she became so pale but decided to do anyway.

"Kate, what's wrong?"

Kate still had not responded. It was Martha's voice that she responded to.

"Kathryn, what is it dear?"

"My mother's relatives were born and raised in Kandikulua.

Both Martha and Rick just looked at her speechlessly.


	16. Chapter 16

XVI

Kate's grip tightened in Alexis' hand. She remembers her mom talking about where her own mom and later her dad were born and grew up. What she can't figure out is why her cousin would go there. She knows that something is wrong, but she can't put her finger on what it is.

"Rick, what did she do in Russia." Kate asked trying to piece her cousin's movements together.

"Kate, we're not exactly sure. All we know is that she spent some time there. There are no cameras there track her movements, and eyewitnesses are just as obscure."

Martha starts to move away and Rick catches her trying to leave. He knows something is going on with her. So for now he will let it slide. Later he will get her alone and grill her.

Alexis is still a little enraged with her father's assumption of her incapability to be a spy, so she voices her thoughts.

"Dad, you think I can't keep a secret to protect my country.

"On the contrary pumpkin, I made sure you were raised in an extremely sheltered, loving, and comfortable childhood. You didn't have negative experiences like your grandparents and I had, experiences that give a person a level of moral flexibility necessary to do what we do."

"Wait, I can't be a spy because I'm emotionally stable! Dad remember I'm the one who raised you, not the other way around. I was the one who had a better handle on reality, among other things not you!"

"Pumpkin, listen to me, being a spy corrupts your life and all that you hold dear. It messes with your belief of right and wrong. So trust me when I say this, you'd make a great spy, but I'm not so sure that you'd survive."

Alexis takes thought to his statement. She knows that he's right. Having to many spies in the family can never be a good thing.

Kate loosens her grip on Alexis' hand and walks over to Rick. Knowing that she could hurt him by grabbing and twisting his ear, she opts for being gentle. Taking his hand she asks;

"Rick, can we talk in your office?"

"Sure Kate. Just let me say good night to mother and Alexis, I have a feeling that this talk might take a while."

"Yes, It could." Kate confesses.

Rick hugs Alexis kisses her on the top of her head and she returns back to her room. When he sees his mother he walks up to her, gives her a look and tells her;

"Whatever you're into, you will tell me before I meet with Mile tomorrow morning."

Martha just nods in the affirmative.

Rick gives her one last hug as Kate watches from his office doorway.

Rick sits in his chair behind his desk. He folds his hands together and waits for Kate to start with what he thinks will be the third degree.

"Rick, do you have feelings for me?"

Rick is shocked at her question. He thought that she would be asking him about her cousin. Not his feelings for her. So he answers the only way he can… truthfully.

"Kate, for the first year or maybe for the first first six months, it was about the research and getting all the facts right on you and your procedures within the NYPD for Nikki Heat. But slowly it became more than that to me. I wanted to get to know what makes you, well you. It hasn't been about the research since then."

"Okay, do you trust me?"

"With my life."

"Well, if that's the case, why didn't you tell me that you were a CIA analyst then?"

"Kate, it's not something I like to advertise. And honestly, with my past indiscretions that appear on page six in most every newspaper would you believe me if I told you the truth?"

"I'd try! Come on Rick the CIA? And what pisses me off more is that you've been an agent before we met. And you kept it to yourself."

"Kate, you need to remember that I analyze top secret information. I wouldn't be able to tell you that without telling you I was an agent, so I had to keep my day job hidden from you."

Kate is now waving her finger between the both of them and says;

"That changes now. Rick I think I'm falling in love with you! No, I am in love with you. I need to know that we can be honest and open with each other no matter what the secret. Actually it might be better if we don't have any anymore secrets. Agreed?"

"Kate!?"

She knows what she is asking of him. She just hopes that his feelings for her trump his secret life. She eyes him as he thinks.

"Agreed? She asks him once again.

Rick is surprised at her admission. He does feel the same way and has for quite a while. He weighs her offer and decides that she is worth the risk when it comes to his other job.

"Agreed" Rick whispered.

"Well now that that's settled, do you have any leads on my cousin's murderer?"

Rick stands up from his chair and walks to where Kate is sitting on his couch. He extends his hand to her and she places her hand in his. He pulls her up into a brief hug before placing a gentle kiss to her lips. She is dumbstruck at his kiss. She is responding to it with a little hesitation, but before long she loves the feeling of his soft lips on hers and kisses him back. All to soon the kiss ends. He takes his hands from her waist and takes a reluctant half step away from her. Her eyes are still closed and he as he watches the reaction on her face. He waits for them to open and then he tells her;

"Kate, I know that I love you. I have for a very long time. Now since you are still technically off any active cases for a couple more days, I think that you should come with me tomorrow. We can go to see my Mike, he is my guy who gets all the intel I need this way you will know what I know at the same time."

"Okay, can I ask you for one more thing?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Kiss me, again?"

"With pleasure." Rick tells her as he moves back into her.

Martha quietly walks away from her son's door. Now she needed to call Johanna with this news.

Xx

Mike was neck deep in the camera footage from Paris. He watched as Sofia made her attempt to pass through security at Charles De Gaulle airport. As she exited the full body scanner two security agents escorted her away. She was moved into a small room that he also had the footage for. He switched video monitors and watched as the security men waved a small hand held chemical detector all over her body. She just stood there until they were done with their sweep of her person. When they were done they were talking to her and her head was nodding up and down, then left to right. He thought that she spoke French with the ease of answers to their questions.

It was then when he noticed a third man standing in the hallway outside of the room that she was being questioned. He kept his face hidden from the camera's view. The security men had their answers, but decided to keep Sofia secured in the room. As they left the room, the man standing there made a quick retreat down the hallway. Mike followed him from a third camera shot When the security men went the opposite way the man in question returned to the room, picked the lock (too quick in his mind) and entered. Mike went back to the second screen and watched as Sofia turned white when she watched him walk towards her. He grabbed her face with one hand in a firm grip and looked her directly in the eyes.

She was telling him something, what, he had no idea of. He hated that there was no audio with these videos. He released her when he made his demands were made known. Mike watched as the man turned and left Sofia in the room. But before he opened the door he had made the sign with his hand moving across his throat telling her that she was going to die. After he left she collapsed onto the chair that was behind her. Mike watches her with concern. As he does, he sees her cross her left leg and place it on top of her right knee. She takes a quick look around and then she takes the heel of her shoe and gives it a twist. She is wearing what look to be a Kristin Cavallari short boot. Not that he's a fashion expert. God his daughter is rubbing off on him. She tilts her leg at an angle that has her hand at the now open heel of her boot. She removes the item that was hidden in the boot and she holds it up to see if it was damaged. It's a USB drive.

She looks around the small room that she's in. He wonders what she's looking for. When she gets up from the chair she sees what she wants. She walks over to the second chair directly under the light fixture. Climbing onto it, she is tall enough the reach the ceiling tile next to the light fixture and push in up. She takes the USB drive and places it on top of the fixture. She replaces the ceiling tile and steps off the chair. The security men return, and escorted her back to the departure terminal. He shut down the monitors and closed his eyes as he thought to himself.

 _"Looks like Rick is going to Paris!"_


	17. Chapter 17

XVII

Rick regrets the information that Mike has just given him. Ending the call, he knows he can't take Kate with him because from his building in mid-town he'll probably be booking a flight to Paris and leaving from there. He wants to be straight with her and he will be, he needs her to see that he's not hiding anything from her by going to Paris alone. He will give her something to do to keep her occupied with Mike until he returns.

"Kate, this is a situation where things could get deadly. I know you want to come along, but I really can't let you come."

"Rick, I'm an NYPD detective. I can handle myself probably better than you. I'm trained for situations like this."

"Kate, while you do have the training to handle just about any type of situation, there are elements here that you can't control. First being that you will not have a weapon with you. Then if you do come, your jurisdiction ends at the jetway at JFK. I know you want to find out who killed your cousin and I understand how you feel. But I'm not going to jeopardize your life or any other person's life whom I love."

"You love me?"

He never told her this before and he hoped that he had not overstepped. He looked at her and if he said nothing then she'd question him.

"With all my heart. You're my one and done. So can you understand why I need to do this alone?"

"I guess, but I'm still pissed that you're doing it by yourself. But your right, I have no pull in France. If I was to be caught investigating over there I could lose my shield. But promise me one thing?"

"Anything you need Kate, just name it," Rick tells her.

"After you settled in call me so I know what's going on there. Who knows maybe Mike can let me help while we have you on the phone."

"Now that sounds like a plan. Let's go and see Mike. I'll leave you the Benz so you can get back to the loft."

The drive to his building is rather long due to construction on just about every city street. Reaching his office, he stalls a bit placing his hand in front of her to slow her down as well before opening the door. He sees that the security cameras are not powered up. Cautiously he opens the door and quietly enters the office space. Checking the office, he doesn't see Mike anywhere and he should be here. It's only after he walks around the corner and sees the remnants of what was his office. They run towards the center of the computer consoles are and see Mike lying on the floor, bleeding heavily from his head.

"Mike, Mike! Come on man wake up!" Rick says as he tries to revive his friend.

Kate has put a hand on Rick's shoulder to quiet him. She points over to the office space about 15 feet away and what he sees is a pair of legs hidden partially by the cubical divider not moving.

"Kate, come here and try to get him to come around."

Kate comes to his side and rests on her knees. Rick gently places Mike's head in her lap, rises up and draws out his gun. Ever so cautiously he advances on the unmoving pair of legs. Peering past the wall he sees that Mike defended himself to the end. He reaches down and feels his wrist for a pulse. Nothing. He then rolls him over to remove his wallet. He opens it and sifts through his credit cards, cash, and personal papers. It's then he sees the operator's license and "company" ID his eyes go wide. This guy was an agent for the DGSE. But as Rick looks closer at the ID card, it's a fake. It's a very good fake, but it's still a fake.

"Rick, quick, get over here! Mike's coming to." Kate said hastily.

"Mike, what in the hell happened?"

Mike still out of it tries to answer Rick but all they hear is him murmuring something they can't understand.

Xx

"Damn it!" Martha says as she stares at her cell phone. She's been trying to call Johanna to ask when she thinks she'll return back to the states for the last three hours. She won't leave her a voicemail but as it turns out this is the only option she has.

"Jo, call me. It's important."

She can't believe these set of circumstances have spiraled down so quickly. She really does not want to tell her son that his girlfriend's mother is still alive. She can't even fathom the ramifications that this will cause both mother and daughter. He was going to talk to her and ask her what was going on, but she was saved by Kathryn asking if she could go with him. This gave her an out, one she gratefully needed.

The only damaging secrets that she's holding back is that Sofia had contacted her asking what she should do when she was in Paris after she was detained, and if there was a safe house in South Korea. She was able to help her out on both occasions. And the big one she was keeping from them is that she has known that her mother was still alive. They were not going to be happy.

Xx

Johanna's plane was on time and will arrive by 7 pm. She had a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that there was something wrong. Her time in D.C. would be short, maybe an hour or two. All she had to do was give her brief on a rather large terrorist cell that was operating in Russia and turn over all her intel. She would catch the next flight out of Regan International for JFK. She looked at her watch and noticed that if she was quick she could be back in New York by 11:30 pm. She hoped it would go smoothly. But there was always some analyst who insisted on hearing everything that she was there to report on. She crossed her fingers.

The meeting with her superior and just about someone who is anyone was a short one. Almost everyone there had a second meeting with the CIA chief and was ordered not to be late. This helped her. She presented her findings, went over her intel and waited for the onslaught of questions that she knew would follow. To her surprise, there were only a few. Of course, these questions were from the analysts who she predicted would want more information. Soon there was silence. The department head called to end the brief and she was free. If she pushed herself she could catch an earlier flight.

Xx

Rick had most of what Mike was saying. As it happened, Mike was done with the Paris footage and was making his final notes on all the information for Sofia's whereabouts. He was just about to lock up when there was a knock on the door. When he got up to answer the door he did not follow protocol. He simply opened the door and asked what the guy wanted. The next thing he knew was that there was the excruciating pain he felt about an hour later. There was blood all over the floor. He heard the guy (who they found out later was Tristan Voclain) searching through just about everything there was in the office ransacking it as he searched.

"Mike what did he get?" Rick really wanted to know.

"Nothing Rick! After he clocked me on the head from behind, we fought and that was the result." Mike pointed to the pair of legs that were still lying there.

"After that, I must have collapsed until you arrived."

"Alright, we need an ambulance for you. That is a deep gash on the side of your head."

"NO Rick!"

"Why not?"

"Rick if we call the paramedics here, it will raise questions that we won't be able to give truthful answers to. And you know for a fact that the NYPD will be close behind." Mike says with certainty.

"Yeah you're right." Rick looks towards Kate.

"Rick, I'll call the cleaners to come in and take care of this," Mike added quickly.

"Mike before you do that, capture his prints so we can find out who he really was." Rick knew that once his body was gone it would never be found again.

"Okay, Rick. So are you booking a flight to Paris? We really need to get a hold of that USB drive." Mike asks him.

"Mike I already have a flight out. It leaves at 11 pm."

Rick turns towards Kate and pulls her into a loving embrace. Before long, their lips find each other and the kiss gets heated quickly.

Separating because he needs to leave he looks her right in the eyes and tells her,

"Kate, I am in love with you, but I need to go. I'll call when I get to Paris."

"Okay, Rick."

"So, you're okay?"

"I am. Now go and get that USB drive!"

As he leaves he prays that the red-eye to Paris will be empty so he can get some sleep. But for the life of him, he can't even understand why the airport security team in Paris did not review the interview tapes with Sofia in the small holding room, in his mind this would be the first thing that he would have done. No, something bigger was going on here. His flight to Paris was waiting for him. He had called the car service earlier to bring him to the airport. He still had about 15 minutes to wait before they started to board first class. He's sitting in a chair by his gate randomly checking his phone. He looks up and out the corner of his eye he sees a familiar woman walk by him from the domestic gates pulling a roll behind carry-on behind her. He can't place her but he swears he knows her from somewhere. He watches as she proceeds towards the exit shrugging the feeling he thought he had, as the announcement for his flight is called over the speaker...


	18. Chapter 18

XVIII

Rick thought as he sat in his seat in first class. He had a vague idea of how to get past the airport security force, but from what he'd seen in the security tapes, gaining access to the room that Sofia was in might be an immense undertaking. He had a partial plan but he would need to see how hard it was to get close to that room. He also needed to monitor the foot traffic in and around the hallway to figure out how to retrieve the USB drive without being caught. He only hoped that all this was worth it. The flight attendant came by and asked if he needed anything. He told her that he wanted another pillow. She got one for him. Before long he was in a deep sleep.

The flight attendant had nudged him awake before they touched down in Paris. He groggily looked at his watch and noticed that he had slept the entire flight. Asking for a hot towel and some breath mints, he tried to wake up. He was feeling a little better as the plane hit the tarmac. Gathering his carry on he was the third person off of the plane. Instead of leaving for his hotel he wandered his way to the security offices to get an eye on the layout. What he noticed was a total lack of continuity. Nothing was organized. From what he observed, the shift commander who should be there wasn't. A regular officer was in charge. According to the duty schedule for today there left only one uniformed K-9 officer for the whole airport from midnight to six am.

He watched as total chaos happened around him. People were trying to cover empty slots that were left open for the upcoming shift. It was actually comical because the officers were trying to swap assignments between each other as the guy in charge was giving the assignments out. The lone officer in charge was hearing it from both sides, and was getting pissed. Since they were rather preoccupied, he just walked past the front security desk, looked down to the half door that did little, if anything to keep anyone out of a secure area, he reached his hand over and gave the handle a twist. Walking through the hallway he heard the door shut quietly behind him. He made his way through the hallway and to his right he spotted the room where Sofia was held.

He takes one look around to make sure he's still alone. He is, so he enters the small interrogation room. He props his roll behind against the table right under the light fixture. Although because of his height he finds that he won't need to stand on it because with him being over six foot tall he can reach his arms up to the ceiling tile and feel around for the USB drive. Seconds later he feels the drive and removes it. As he brushes himself off from the dust that settled on his jacket, he slips the drive into his inside pocket. Just as he is finished and his roll behind firmly in his grip, a security officer dressed in a dark blue camo uniform passes the rooms door.

"Que faites-vous ici, monsieur?" (what are you doing in here, Sir?)

"Je pense avoir fait un mauvais virage quelque part. Je suis perdu. Pouvez-vous m'aider?"

("I think I made a wrong turn somewhere. I'm lost. Can you help me?")

The security officer waves him towards him and pats him down just to make sure. When he's finished he says;

"Suivez-moi Monsieur. Et essayer de ne pas se perdre ici."

("Follow me Sir. And try not to get lost here again.")

The officer leads him to a different exit. As he leaves he thanks him for his help. Rick high tails it out of the airport and hails a cab. Once in it, he retrieves the USB drive from his pocket and wonders as he rotates it between his fingers. He arrives at the hotel and before he can even access the drive, he calls Mike. Mike is fresh out of the hospital after having been checked out and found to be okay. Though he has a mild pain killer if he sees the need.

"Rick, were you able to get the drive?"

"I was. I was thinking that I'll open it and find out what's on this thing that Sofia was killed for."

"It's 2 in the afternoon here. Before you open the drive and scan it for any viruses, just in case. They go over it quickly remove it, secure it and get some rest. I know that you were not able to sleep on the plane."

"Actually Mike, I slept the whole flight. I'll look into what's on this and call you back before 5 pm your time."

"Okay Rick, I'll talk to you later." Mike says as he ends the call.

Rick opens up his laptop and inserts the drive scanning it first before he opens it. When the device is virus free he opens it. Only she has a password locking it. He spent about an hour trying to figure out her password. He tried birthdays, anniversaries, her dog's name and even tried her own apartment address coupled with the apartment number, which all ended up being a dead end. Then he thought about a conversation that they had about a year ago. She loved the book Gulliver's Travels. He had a hunch and typed in "Lilliput" and the drive opened to a warning page. On it was large red letters across the page telling him that whatever was on this drive was serious. He clicked a file menu and scrolled to a file named: Imperative.

As he opened the file he read. He did not like what he scanned so far. Not only did he find out there was going to be a major attack on U.S soil, but then he read that her aunt was working in Russia, and she was still very much alive. His first thought was of Kate. This would destroy her.

Xx

Martha was pacing in her room wondering when Johanna was going to call her back. The meeting she knew she was at was long over and she had already landed at JFK about an hour ago according to the airline. This was going to be a disaster. One that she thinks that Kate will never recover from. She's watching Kate as she walks the short hallway that leads to the stairs. She is reading at the breakfast bar. Martha reaches the top of the steps and is shocked when there is a knock on the door. She knows it's not Richard, and they did not order anything this late so that only leaves one possibility.

"I'll get it." Kate says as she looks up at Martha on the stairs.

"Kathryn please let me get the door!" Martha says, in a rush down the stairs.

"No Martha don't be silly I'm already here."

As Kate opens the door she's met with the sight of a slightly older, slightly fatigued, and gaunt Johanna Beckett. Martha just reaches the anteroom as Kate's eyes flutter shut and she collapses into her arms….


	19. Chapter 19

XIX

Martha makes it to Kate before she hits the floor catching her easily. Johanna who's temporarily lost at not seeing her daughter in years comes out of her trance and acts. They each take Kate and carefully lay her on the couch. Martha leaves to get a cold compress, while Johanna sits close and waits for Martha to come back. She takes her daughter in and she is amazed how she has grown. Shortly Martha returns and all Johanna can ask is

"Martha, how has she been all this time?"

"Jo, at first she was a wreck. As time went on she began to accept what had happened to you. I can't imagine how she'll take seeing you now?"

"Martha, you were supposed to keep an eye on her for me!"

"Jo, there hasn't been a day when I haven't. However, in my defense, there's no way in hell that I'm going to reveal what my objective was to her!"

Johanna thinks about what Martha has just said. She's right there was no option for her without telling Kate why.

"I'm sorry Martha. Does Rick know?

"Does he know what? That I was assigned by you to make sure that she did not dig into your case? Or the fact that you're still alive?"

"Either," Johanna asks.

"As of this moment he is in the dark, but I fear that he knows something. But I'd hate to be the one that tells him!"

"That's my cross to bear. And something tells me that I won't survive the hell storm that's about to come."

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

Kate was starting to come around. Her eyes fluttered and when they opened she immediately closed them again hoping that what she perceived was really only a bad dream. Slowly opening them again that dream had now become a nightmare. She sat up without the help of her deceased mother. Looking to Martha she asked her if it was true with eye contact. When she affirmed this she rose from the couch walked over to Rick's liquor cabinet and helped herself to two shots of single malt. Slamming the tumbler back on the counter, she started to break down in front of both women.

Martha was the first to even think about moving in to console Kate. As she drew near, Kate had made it known that she was not to be handled. She got up grabbed a tissue and wiped her eyes. Looking over to Martha where she stood about five feet from her she asked her

"Did you know she was alive?"

Well that's it she thought the hell storm had now become a full blown shit storm.

"I did. I'm sor…"

"Save it! I don't want to hear it."

With that said Kate retreated back up the stairs to the guest room, slammed the door and locked it.

"Jo, we need to call my son. He can talk to her and hopefully get her to come back down so you can explain."

"Martha, I think that I'm way past the point of no return here. But maybe I can still let her see that I love her."

"Damn it. Jo, what about Jim?"

"Yeah, I'm screwed. How are they going to survive this Martha?"

Martha motions Jo to walk with her into Rick's office. There she dials his number hoping that he's still up. What seems like a lifetime for the call to connect, he finally answers.

"Casssle. He answered half asleep.

"Richard, we need your help. We have an issue that needs to be dealt with."

Rick thinks to himself, still in his sleep deprived state. They need his help? What the hell happened there.

"Mother, what's going on?" Rick asks finally realizing who he is talking to.

"Richard, we dropped the ball. Kate has locked herself in the guest bedroom and won't come out. We don't have any idea about how to get her to come out."

"Let me guess, she was given a little bad news tonight?"

"Well, not a little, more like a lot." Martha cringed as she said this.

"So let me get this straight, Kate found out that her mother that has been dead for the last 21 years suddenly was resurrected, am I warm?"

"Son, you're on fire!"

"Where's Johanna right now?"

"She's sitting right next to me." Martha cringes once more.

"No, don't tell me that she just showed up at the loft!"

"She did." The line went dead. In seconds they hear Kate's ring tone for Rick ringing in the guest room. Kate answers and then it's silent. Martha knows that you can hear people talking through the walls of the guest room. It's then that she realizes that Rick told her to go into the bathroom so they could talk without being heard. They talk for about a half hour after which Kate opens the door and walks out. They anticipate what will happen next. She descends the stairway and takes a seat next to Martha.

"Martha, Rick wants me to tell you that he has information about a significant threat against the United States. He will be flying back home from France in about two hours. That should put him at JFK by 10 am the earliest. He's done enough research on the threat that he thinks it is genuine. He forwarded what he found to Mike so he could move on this intel."

"Thank you, dear. Do you want to talk to Johanna? If so, I can become scarce." Martha said.

"That won't be necessary, I'm not the kind of person who makes someone in their own home feel uncomfortable."

Martha nods her head in understanding.

"Oh, and by the way, my mother died years ago, so that person sitting there who looks like her must be a ghost. Because everybody knows that people can't rise back up from the dead!"

Kate gets up and leaves. She takes her coat off the hook and puts it on. Opening the door, she walks over the threshold and she doesn't look back.

Rick knows that she is hurting. It must have been some shock to look your own mother in the face and destroy all the faith and truth that you believed in. Now he only wishes that he was there to be with her. He had found an earlier flight after he sent Mike the intel he had on the faction that was planning the strike against the US. This is where he was now waiting for the announcement to board the plane and leave. It comes about five minutes later and once in the air all he can think about is Kate.

 _"Please hang on until I get there babe. I'll make it better for you, and help you get through this I promise!"_


	20. Chapter 20

XX

Hitting the sidewalk in front of the loft she just started to walk. There was no destination in mind, only just to walk as far away from the situation she left behind. The feelings that clouded her mind were that of doubt. The strongest feeling though was one of rejection. Why would her mother hide the fact that she was still alive? Better yet, why would Martha? From what she noticed of their body language and facial expressions they both knew of her existence and hid it from her. She wandered around thinking about how to come to terms that her mother lied to her for the last twenty years.

Xx

Looking at each other as the door slammed Martha gives Johanna the I told you so look.

"What the hell have I done, Martha?" Jo asked her friend.

"Jo, listen just give her some time. This is a shock to her, it would be to me. I do think that it'd be best if you weren't here when she returned, though."

"WHAT? Have you gone insane?" Jo roared in anger.

"Jo, the first thing she'll do is have a showdown with you if you're still here. Remember she just lost her cousin 5 days ago. I'm sure that she's still trying to process this."

"Are you sure Martha? I mean I could explain to her why I was gone for so long."

"Trust me, Jo. I have been keeping an eye on her for the last 20 years. I know how she is and the way she shows her emotions. She forgives relatively quickly, she's a lot like Richard in that manner."

"If you think it's for the better, then I'll go." Jo said sadly.

"I do. I'll keep you in the loop. Just stay by your phone."

Johanna collected her coat and bag. Then left the loft. She had nowhere to go to because she was dead. So she checked into the Four Points in So-Ho, not far from Rick's loft. Just in case she needed to come back there. She got to her room and sat in the chair by the desk. What a mess she made of this. She hoped that Kate could see her side of the situation, but doubted it.

Xx

Rick was frustrated He could not use his cell phone and the airplanes phones were knocked out by an electrical phenomenon. He was powerless to get any information to or from Mike. He really wanted or hoped that Mike had sent the imminent terrorist threat to the CIA and FBI and they acted on it. His flight was still about an hour and a half away from JFK. It was driving him crazy because he did not know what happened with Kate. He hoped that she would not run like she promised him. Well, he did know, because he read the file and he knew Johanna was still alive, but he wished she just did not show up out of the blue.

Xx

Mike watched as she walked through Central park. She left Rick's loft and headed north. He found her walking and he spotted her at 8th and West 14th street. He'd been following her at a safe but hidden distance. All he was doing was watching her and making sure that she was safe until Rick was back. By the time she walked to 8th and West 59th street she had slowed her pace then she turned right at Columbus Circle. She walked to Center drive and entered the park. Here is where he waited and watched as she sat on a chain link swing near Wollman Rink. If she was aware of her surroundings as she walked it showed. She would have noticed the two eastern European tree trunks that followed her. He first noticed them at 49th and 8th. At first, he waved them off as drunk tourists. But then again, nothing was as it seemed. They became more intense as they kept close to her but hidden most of the time.

He had a position to keep watch on Kate and the hired muscle. They were there also but much further away than he was. If needed, he could be there in seconds. He was still not at 100%, but he knew even at his full strength hand to hand with these goons would be in their favor. He pulled out his phone and tried to call Rick again. It went straight to voice mail. He left a message hoping the inevitable would not happen by the time he returned his call then he muted his phone and slipped it back into his pocket.

Xx

Rick stood up next to his seat primed to make a run for the door once it opened. He powered up his phone and noticed two voice mails. Quickly thumbing through the menu he listened to the newest message first;

 _ **"Rick, it's Mike. Kate's very upset about something. Don't know what is. She has been walking for a while and ended up in Central Park. We're on the southern end of the park across from Wollman rink by a kids play area. Chain link swings. Be aware assets are in play! And I'm outnumbered.**_

Rick knew exactly where she'd gone to. He remembered her telling him about the swings and this is where she went to relax and figure things out without any outsiders giving her any guidance.

He listened to the next message and it was Kate.

 _ **"Rick, it's me, Kate. I won't be at the loft when you return. Long story! I'm clearing my head, and I can't tell you when I'll be back. But I promise you that I'm done running… forever! I just need to think about some things.**_

Rick watched as the flight attendant readied the cabin door to be opened. He pulled up Mike's contact number and hit the dial button. He must have been sitting on the phone because he never heard it ring.

"Status?" Rick asked.

 _"Two heavily armed men. 6' taller or better, 240 easily. Look to be combat trained. How do you want to proceed?"_

"Fall back just enough not to be seen. Monitor only, if you need to act I don't need to tell you what to do. Rescue the target!"

 _"Ten-four"_ The line went dead and Rick was at the entrance of the terminal looking for his car. As he turned to his left he heard the screeching tires stop right in front of him. The door opened and he jumped in.

"Wollman Rink, and step on it." Rick commanded.

"Yes, sir!" The Lincoln lurched forward and they were on the Grand Central in minutes. His driver must be a native New Yorker. Rick thought he knew almost every shortcut to get anywhere in the city, but this guy knew roads he'd never seen before. Driving at speeds exceeding almost 100 mph the guy crossed the Throgs Neck bridge. Instead of getting on at 3rd ave. he stayed on the FDR. Accelerating to near 120 mph and weaving in and out of the slower cars before he knew it they were slowing down at East 73rd street exit. But it was a directional exit in favor of northbound traffic. He was thrown against the left door at this moment. The driver hit the emergency brake locking up the rear tires and sending the rear of the heavy car into a slide. He over steered and came straight again and hit the gas. Reaching the intersection of 73rd and York he turned left to York street. Turning once more onto 72nd street he hit 65 mph in seconds. Three minutes later he turned onto 5th Ave and drove down to the 65th street traverse. He slowed to about 15 mph and pulled as close as he could to Wollman Rink. Rick pulled two one hundred dollar bills and got out of the car. As he walked up to the driver's side door he said

"Nice piece of driving buddy!"

"Thank you sir, but the names, not buddy, it's Gigi!"

"Well, Gigi here's something for your excellent driving."

"Thanks, sir!"

Rick just realized that the driver had gotten him from JFK to Central Park in less than 16 minutes. She was worth her weight in platinum.

Xx

Mike watched as the Lincoln pulled up to the part of the park where the amusement rides covered its arrival. Rick was here. He looked around for Kate and spotted her instantly. He waited before going to see her because he wanted to make sure Mike was ready to cover him. He found Mike acting as a bum lying on a park bench about 30 yards from Kate. Rick acted like he was giving the bum money and Mike briefed him on the situation.


	21. Chapter 21

XXI

Rick listened as Mike told him about the hired muscle that followed Kate. Coming up with a plan that they both liked Rick cautiously walked over to the set of swings that Kate was on.

Calmly and quietly he called out her name. If she heard him she never acknowledged it. She just sat there thinking. Whatever bad news she was given must have really shook her. He had an idea about what it was, but he would not assume until he heard it from her. He tried calling her again only, this time, a little louder.

"Kate, babe, I'm here."

She turned and he instantly noticed the tear tracks that ran down her cheeks.

"Oh, baby! Rick said.

Within the blink of an eye, he was covered by one Kate Beckett. He was amazed at how fast she was up off the swing and into his arms. He just held her. Soothing her by caressing his hand up and down her back. After a couple of minutes, the gentle weeping had subsided.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"Rick, my mother is alive. She has betrayed me for the last decade. And the most pathetic thing about this whole charade was that I believed that she was gone from my life."

"Kate, she might have a reason that you are in the dark about. Have the two of you talked since you found out about her secret?"

"Rick, whatever lame excuse she has I don't want to hear about it. Me and dad went through hell after we were told that she was murdered. Oh, my god… my dad! What will he do now that she is back among the living.? He will be devastated."

"Kate I really want to help you settle this. But right now there are more pressing matters that we need to deal with. When you left the loft you were followed by two thugs. They're at my eight o'clock hidden by the shrubs. Just take a short look, but don't look that long."

Kate gazed over his shoulder and noticed two male figures partially hidden by some short shrubs near the exit of the rink. Then she rested her head on his chest and asked him,

"Rick, are they after me? And how do we get out of this? I'm so stupid. I never thought about checking my six." She said frustrated.

"Kate, Mike's had your back. He's been following them almost since you left the loft. He's on the park bench acting like a bum."

"Well, that's a first. He plays the part well!"

"He does at that. We need to get out of here. Now, very simply we are going to walk around the kid's rides where there is a car waiting on the other side."

"What about Mike?" Kate wondered.

"He will make sure that they follow us and then once we are back at the car and clear, he will beat feet out of the park and meet us back at the loft."

Kate nodded her affirmation. He turned her into a sideways embrace and they started to walk back to the Lincoln. Mike sat up and watched as the thugs broke their cover and followed. Once he observed that they were back in the car and they drove away the thugs started to run after them. By the time they got to where the car was, Rick and Kate were gone. He got up off the bench and walked out of the park using the Center Drive entrance. Hailing a cab, he gave the cabbie Rick's address.

Gigi was waiting for them. Rick had never told her to wait, but he's glad that she did. He stressed the fact that they needed to leave in a hurry and she pulled a U-turn in the grass to head back to the 65ht street traverse exit. When they were back on 7th Rick took the chance to look out the rear window. They were clear.

"Where to Mr. Castle?"

"595 Broome street. And this time take your time!"

Kate gave Rick a curious look and he told her,

"Kate it's a long story. I'll tell you when we get back to the loft."

She again nodded.

Rick knew that the thugs would track down where he lived it was only a matter of time. Their time at the loft will be short. He needed to talk to his mother and he needed Johanna to be there as well. He only hoped that Kate could understand what he was going to do. He had information that Johanna was unaware about. Taking out his cell phone he called his mother.

"Richard? Please tell me that Kate is safe and unharmed!"

"Mother she is. There are things that we need to discuss, very time sensitive issues and I need Johanna there when we do. So please make sure that she is there at the loft within the next 20 minutes."

"Richard, are you sure about this?"

"Mother I am. This has now become a matter of national security. So please get her there!" He ended the call without wanting to hear her protests.

Kate looked in his direction with a glower written all over her face.

"Rick why?"

"Kate, I realize that you are upset with what your mother has done to you, hell I'd be pissed off too. But right now we need to take care of the assets that are in play. We or I should say the CIA, FBI, and Homeland need to address this and stop them. If we don't a major attack will be carried out in 4 major cities in the US with New York being one of them."

"Rick, while I am really mad, I think that I will be able to deal with her lie after we settle this crisis. I still hate her a little right now."

"Kate that's normal. You were given life changing news. I hope that you lean on me what you need to, Kate, I'm here for you… always."

"Mr. Castle we've arrived." Gig told them

Rick pulled out his wallet once more and this time, he took out 5 one hundred dollar bills. As he got out and Kate followed. He walked up to the driver's side of the car and handed Gigi the cash. She looked at her tip in shock.

"Gigi, if you agree to it, I'd like for you to be my personal driver. You'd still work with the limo company you're with, but you'd be exclusively assigned to my needs."

"Mr. Castle I think that can be arranged." She said with all honesty.

As their car pulled away, Mike pulled up in the cab. As he paid the driver Rick and Kate waited. They had a lot to talk about.


	22. Chapter 22

XXII

Mike walks up to Rick, and he and Kate walk into the lobby of the loft.

"Mike we need to talk about the teams that are going to hit the city"

"Teams? How many are we talking about here Rick?"

As they entered the elevator Rick turned back to answer Mike as he pushed the elevators floor button.

"Mike, in New York alone they seem to have ten teams ready to wreak some type of devastation. I'm still working on the destruction part of it."

"Rick, what was on the flash drive?" Kate asked.

"Kate, can we wait until we get into the loft?" She nodded.

Just after he said that, the elevator doors opened and they stepped out. Before they were about to go in he heard voices inside the loft. Opening the door, he first noticed his mother and then looking to the right he noticed Johanna.

Kate walked in right behind him and there is no way she did not see her mother. When he stepped away to talk to his mother Kate was exposed. Johanna started to move towards her daughter, but Kate stopped her by raising her hand. Without meeting her eye, she said the following statement,

"Now is not the time for what you want to say. There is a group of terrorists somewhere loose in the city that need to be dealt with first.

"Terrorists?!" Martha and Johanna said at the same time as they both looked at Kate.

Rick turned to face Johanna.

"I'm afraid so. If you will all follow me into my office, I'll show you what's on the flash drive."

He turned and walked to the office. Removing the drive from his jacket pocket as he sat down he invited the others to do the same and inserted the drive into his laptop. When the file directory for the drive appeared he clicked on the file "Imperative". Opening it he clicked the play arrow and sat back so the others could see it as well….

 _ **"Aunt Johanna, I'm not sure if you will ever see this file but if you do, I don't think I will be able to make it through this alive. I have uncovered a plot for the terrorist group that is in the town where you were born and raised. They claim to be Islamic Freedom Fighters who have set out to rid their countries of the support the US has given their governments.**_

 **They are living in Tajikistan, and other middle eastern, northern European locations in plain sight. I know that you were there to expose the drugs and the shipment of illegal guns, but Aunt Jo, these men are responsible for what you're looking into and so much more. They have a compound of Anthrax that's deadly to people. Anthrax itself is too large in its natural form to be harmful to people. They have found a way to reduce its larger particles that would not reach the lower respiratory tract, making it deadly and they have also made this compound resistant to degradation by rain and ultraviolet radiation from sunlight. They constructed a vessel to deliver it while retaining the ability to efficiently infect the human lung.**

 **They conceived a delivery system that is crude in fashion. They have already shipped the 10 dirty bombs per city to the states and most definitely have already put them into the targets they have selected into play. I was able to secure a list of cities that they were going to be targeted. Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, and New York City."**

As the screen fades to black Sophia is heard whispering,

 _ **"Good Hunting, Aunt Jo!"**_

Rick ventures a look to the group. What he sees are shocked faces. Kate and Johanna are quietly shedding tears knowing that this was Sophia's last contact with them. He gets up and draws Kate into a hug. Trying so very hard to show her how much he loves her. Johanna looks up to him and he looks right back at her and the look he gives is one that shows that he is beyond happy with her.

Releasing Kate from the embrace he asks "Johanna, how could you NOT know that they were planning this right under your nose? And in the same town, no less."

"Rick, I… now wait a god damned minute here! That was not why I was there. My mission was just to gather intel and determine if there was a threat concerning the guns and drugs. That was the mission, so I did it! So get off your high horse and give me a fucking break."

"Johanna, you're a fucking field agent! So what, were you're eyes not even open to see what was going on around you? That's intel gathering 101!" You should have…"

"Cut the shit, Rick. You know all too well that once you're in the zone, it's hard to see anything else but the end result! You know this…

"THAT'S ENOUGH, Rick, Johanna! We're getting nowhere by placing blame. What we need to do is figure how to stop these asshats who are going around four major cities to place at least 40 dirty bombs by my calculations." Mike said.

Rick gave Johanna one more dirty look and pulled Kate out of the office. Once in the living room he sat her down and placed his hand on hers.

"Kate, I'm so sorry for losing my cool in there. It was wrong of me."

"Don't be so sure Rick. Even though I have not seen her in over a decade, I can still read her. She's telling you the truth. She might have been unaware of these guys, but that's still no excuse."

"Kate a good field agent knows what's going on around them. That's what I can't understand. If she was in the same town, how could she have missed this?"

Xx

Martha placed her hand on Johanna's arm in an effort to calm her down. When she thought she could handle it she asked her first question.

"Jo, did you know anything about this group?" Martha asked softly.

"Honestly Martha, I was so involved in the case I was gathering information on, I never heard or noticed anything out of the ordinary. And even though I hate to admit it, Rick's right. I should have been more attentive."

"Jo, don't beat yourself up over this. What's done s done. Now we need to find out where all these bombs are located."

"That might be easier said than done." Mike said.

"Not really." Rick said as he and Kate walked back into the office.

"Babe?" Kate asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"There is a way to track the movements of industrial grade plutonium. All we need to hope for is that this material they used has a lighter particle weight making it easier to detect."

"We might need to put it up on a bird to find it easier." Mike said.

"Mother, Kate could you call the agencies that need to know about this threat? We can work with the FBI and Homeland here in New York, they can send teams to LA, Chicago and Dallas."

"Rick, what are we going to do?" Johanna asked him.

"For starters, we need to get our hands on a Transition Radiation Detector. Then see if Mike is able to fine tune it to detect more of the heavier particles. In the meantime, we need to talk."

Rick motioned everyone out of his office. When it was clear he closed and locked the door and took a seat at his desk. She was still pissed at him from his comments earlier but Johanna sat directly across from him and waited as he gathered his thoughts.

"Johanna, I am not the kind of person who keeps anything from your daughter. I've always treated her the same way I treat my own daughter. I have always told her the truth. Now, what I am going to tell you is that I think Sophia was killed for this flash drive. That very same person or persons will be here shortly trying to get it back. You, Kate, Alexis, and my mother will be leaving here once Kate and mother finish their calls."

"NO RICK! This is NOT your mission!" Johanna said adamantly.

"Actually, this is. I swore an oath to this country to defend it against all enemies foreign and domestic. I'm not stopping now!"

Johanna hung her head. Knowing that he would not relent.

"Now as for your problem with Kate, you, are going to have to talk to her. I'll try to smooth things over between the two of you to give you an even playing field, but I don't know if that will help. She can be very stubborn."

"Yeah, I know."

There was a knock on the door and Rick got up to open the door. Mike told him that he found three detectors that could be easily modified to find what they were looking for. Rick motioned to Johanna and walked her out to Martha and Kate.

"Here's what's going to happen next. Mom you, Kate, Alexis, and Johanna will be leaving the loft for a more secure location. Mike and I need to deal with a criminal element and I want all of you safe."

"Rick, Dad?" Kate and Alexis whined said at the same time.

"Babe, we can help. I'm a cop, remember?"

"I know. But I want all of you safe while we deal with this team that I know will be here soon."

"I don't like it at all. But if you think that we're at risk, then I guess it'll be okay." Kate said.

"You are at risk. Now go. Now!" he looked into her eyes trying to communicate his request hoping that she'd see what he was saying.

Kate took the keys for Rick's Mercedes SUV he was holding out. She kissed him on the cheek, and quickly they all left the loft. As they rode the elevator down to the parking garage she hoped that he and Mike would be alight. When they were leaving Martha noticed a van pull up in front of the loft and five men got out and at least 3 of them were armed with AR-15's and AK-47's…


	23. Chapter 23

XXIII

From the window of the loft Rick and Mike watched as Kate drove the Mercedes SUV out onto Broome street from the underground garage and then follow that down the street until they could no longer see the taillights. Rick turned to Mike and thought, we'll probably not make it through this if seeing the thugs that were following Kate earlier were any indication. He knew that whatever they wanted to do with Kate, having not succeeded would come back to their doorstep with a vengeance.

They were armed but lightly. Handguns and their minds. Slowly a plan started to form in Rick's mind.

"Mike, I think that we are looking at this threat in the wrong frame of mind. We know that they are going to try to re-take Kate here, right."

Mike looked at him questioningly. He wondered what he was thinking.

"I'm lost here, Rick. Why are we looking at a likely death warrant like a walk in the park?" Mike asked.

"Don't you see? We might be outmanned and out gunned, but _WE_ have the home field advantage here!"

"Yeah, I'm still lost…" then it hit him. "You're right. We can cause them a lot of trouble here. What do you have in mind?" Mike asked warming more to the plan his friend had in mind.

"It's simple. Alexis and I have had intense battles of laser tag here. This is what we are going to do. We'll have the advantage of the cover of darkness. Something they won't be expecting. We kill the lights and take up a primary and secondary position that will be to our advantage. Once they are disorientated we move around the loft taking out, however, many of them we can."

"I think it will work. But you know that they might be wearing Kevlar, right?"

"Mike, we're fighting for our lives here! Try to aim for the outer extremities and if it comes to it as a last resort, head shots. I want at least one of them alive to question." Rick said.

"Sounds like we have a plan. What about booby traps?"

"We won't have that much time Mike. What did you have in mind?"

"Oh, I have a couple of things up my sleeve. Why don't you go to your safe in the office and get your spare magazines for the Glocks and be sure to grab your Python while you're at it? It may only be a .357 magnum with six shots, but a round from that weapon can stop a bear in its tracks."

Rick just smiled and turned towards the direction of his office.

When he returned he watched as Mike was coating the floor by the entry door with cooking oil. As Mike backed up he asked Rick for some help. Curious he asked what he was going to do.

"We do have an advantage, they will not expect the layout and since it will be dark in here we can position the smaller furniture to be like an obstacle course. That's the best I can do on such short notice."

"It'll have to do. Thanks, Mike. Now let's cut the power at the breaker box."

Mike walked over to the electrical panel and threw the main breaker supplying power to the entire loft. Now submerged in total darkness he felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Rick. He brought one more toy they could use from his safe. He held out a helmet attached with a pair of fourth generation night vision goggles. He gave Rick a thumbs up and quickly donned the helmet and adjusted the goggles. He and Rick separated and took up positions that would give then the best avenue of attack.

Xx

Kate Beckett was not a person who was very religious in any sense of the word. She did however say a prayer from time to time. Now was one of these times. She had wanted to take the Benz and turn around to head back to the loft. She was sure that she could help him. That was until Martha must have been reading her mind because from the passenger seat at the exact moment she had decided to turn around, Martha looked over at her with a disappointed expression on her face. She only uttered four words: "Kate, don't do it!"

With that said, Kate pressed harder on the gas pedal. When she reached the end of Broome street, she crossed Varick street and then turned right to enter the Holland Tunnel. According to her dead mother, there was a safe house in Millbrook, NY. That no one hardly ever used it and not that many agents knew about it.

So when they exited the tunnel they headed straight for upstate New York. In the two hours that the drive had taken them to get there she was about to scream. All her dead mother could do was go on and on with her excuses about how she never meant to hurt her, how she was protecting her, how she was sorry this happened in the first place. She's not sure, but Martha looks as fed up as she feels. Just as they were about to pull up to the house Kate snapped.

"Will you please just SHUT UP! I don't want to hear another word out of your mouth. No amount of time or however many apologies you can come up with will fix this! You died, dad and I buried you. So the entire time that we are here together, not a sound. I won't be talking to you in either case."

They all got out of the Mercedes and Johanna was the first to reach the door. Searching for the key around the door frame she hastily pulled it down and unlocked the door. Walking in this house felt like walking into a third rate hotel. It was terrible the furniture was mostly relics from a 50's western movie set. The entry way was void of any carpet, as well as the rest of the house. This was going to be slumming it. She walked upstairs and looked into each of the 5 bedrooms. Deciding to take the second smallest room she placed her bag on the end of the bed. For a safe house, the beds were a little firm, but they were something to sleep on at least.

She wanted an update about how Rick was doing. She knew that she could not call his phone, so she worried as she sat on the edge of her bed. Alexis claimed the room across from hers and after she settled in, she emerged from her room and walked into Kate's.

"Kate, don't be worried. He's fine!" Alexis said with elation.

"Alexis, what makes you think that I'm worried about your dad?"

"Kate, the worry is written all over your face. Trust me, dad's going to be okay, he will make it through this, you'll see."

Xx

They weren't going to make it through this. Rick was right about one thing these guys were on a whole new level of crazy. They had only one mode and that was search and destroy. With more emphasis on destroying everything in their paths. The first sign had come as Rick and Mike were waiting for the initial attack. They thought they heard voices gathered at the door but could not be sure. That's when the bottom dropped out. The explosion was directional and the front door and frame were now lying on the floor in the foyer. They quickly entered and they had taken up positions right inside the door. Two of the thugs aimed and fired their weapons on full automatic emptying a full clip each in the process wildly crisscrossing everything in sight. As the first two reloaded, the second pair came in and took over the same way.

Once the fifth and last man was in the loft Rick gave Mike the signal. Mike threw a quarter towards the stairway and when it hit the floor the thugs fired at the noise. The fifth man yelled in Romanian,

"voi doi cerc în jurul și flancul pe partea îndepărtată a scării."

("you two circle around and flank the far side of the stairway.")

When Rick heard this command he knew that there was one more advantage these thugs had over them. He did not understand Romanian and neither did Mike. Sensing movement from where he was, he watched as the first team of two men started to move to the stairway. Mike's oil trap was avoided by the first team, so he hoped that the second team fell victim to it.

"Mihai, Vlad să fie gata. Acopere prima echipă. Trebuie să fie aici pe undeva. Muta mai departe și să le găsească!"

("Mihai, Vlad be ready. cover the first team. They have to be here somewhere. Move forward and find them!")

As soon as the second team moved they stepped right into the puddle of oil in front of them. Mike snickered as they fell, arms and legs flailing around until they hit the floor. Rick decided that it was time to take the leader out. Aiming the Python directly at the leader he fired. When Mike heard the discharge of the small cannon Rick just fired, he took aim at the first thug in the first team. To his surprise the first round had taken out the thug with a center mess hit. He was not wearing any Kevlar what so ever.

When Rick fired, his aim was accurate and true. The fifth thug was stunned as he tried to get back up his body amour taking the full force of the hit. Deciding to move Rick crawled along the back of the couch to take out the second thug on the first team. As he came closer he watched as this thug pulled what looked like a M-84 stun grenade. As he pulled the pin and threw the device Rick remover his night vision goggles, closed his eyes and plugged his ear with his free hand. As the grenade went off, Rick still saw the bright light behind his closed eye lids. Recovering, he took aim at the thug and to his surprise he felt a searing pain on his left arm. He was hit, but not badly. His arm was now throbbing rendering it useless to defend himself.

"Rick, are you hit?" Mike asked hoping that it was a miss.

"Yeah, I am. Come around my six and take this guy out!"

Mike is able to complete this task from his current position. Firing at the thug who is caught off guard he goes down without firing back at Mike. The second team is now back up and advancing on the two of them. Rick holds up two fingers and points to the advancing men. They rise from their cover and both fire at the same time, each hitting their targets. As they go down Rick and Mike advance towards the two men and check for any signs of life.

All in all, there are three dead, one left with a serious abdominal wound and the leader, who has propped himself against the wall by the doorway, is moaning in pain. Rick walks over to him, kicks away his weapon and crouches down to be on his level.

"How many other teams are there?" Rick asked realizing that the adrenalin from the fire fight will be soon wearing off.

"Nu spun nimic! Tot ce pot spune este că ești un om mort, atunci când acest lucru este de peste !"

("I'm not saying anything! All that I can say is that you're a dead man when this is over!")

"Mike, whatever he said can't be good. We need to get a translator here and fast."

"I agree. But first, we need to get a team in here to clean up this mess. Then we can concentrate on the ring leader."

Rick sighs. "Yeah, call them and then let's call Kate. She needs to stay where ever they are for the foreseeable future."

"After that, we get your arm looked at..."


	24. Chapter 24

XXIV

The cleaning crew had just removed the bodies and were cleaning up the blood from the said bodies where they died. They were good and quick. From the initial callout, they were here in less than 15 minutes. Mike searched the bodies of the deceased and found that they were not carrying anything that would help them. The leader was eyeing the both of them still trying to figure out how two men, analysts at that had taken out a trained team.

When the cleanup crew was done they quietly left. Rick and Mike turned at the two remaining members of the team and just looked menacingly at the both of them. This went on for about a minute before Rick looked at Mike then the both of them headed for his office. The two mercenaries were not going to be going anywhere. Rick had tied them to chairs in the center of the loft. But as a precaution, Mike stayed at the entry way to keep an eye on them both while he and Rick spoke.

"Mike, I'm going to call Kate and tell her to stay put for the time being. This strike team cannot be the only one in play. The longer she and her mom, Alexis, and my mother are hidden the better."

"Rick we need that translator here and like 15 minutes ago. We're sitting ducks here, hell there could already another team gunning for us. And you got winged as well. How is that arm by the way?" Mike asked.

"Mike I'll survive. I just need to clean and treat my wound, dress it and I should be fine. The feeling is starting to return to my fingers now. I'm going to call Kate and then find out what's taking the translator. Until I'm finished keep an eye on our charges."

"No problem Rick!" Mike walked from the office to give Rick some privacy and to see if he could instill just a bit of fear in the pair of Romanians.

Shortly after Mike was finished trying to be intimidating towards the merc's the knock at the front of the door drew him to answer it since Rick was still talking to Kate. He checked who was on the other side and smiled when he recognized who it was. Swinging the door opened he greeted the visitor.

"Eric, it's been a long time!" Mike said.

"Too long, Mike. Where's Rick?"

"He's on a call, but I think he was just about to wind it down. He should be here in a minute."

"What do we have Mike?"

"As far as I can tell they are not saying much of anything. If I were to guess, I'd say they are speaking Romanian and they're being tight-lipped about everything. But he keeps repeating one phrase over and over again."

"He did? What did he say?"

"He said Vreau consilier juridic." (I want legal counsel.)

"Did he now. Well, I'm here now so let's have a little talk with them, shall we?"

Eric walked over to the two men tied to the chairs. He set down his aluminum brief case that was just a bit oversized.

"Eu nu sunt în măsură să vă acorde vreun consilier juridic." Eric said in fluent Romanian.

("I am not able to provide any legal counsel.")

He was met with silence, not even a twitch. So, he tried a different tact.

"In interior acest caz de argint este o modalitate de a face să vorbești de bunăvoie. Nu sunt genul de interogator care recurge la bodly rău."

("Inside that silver case is a way to make you talk of your own free will. I'm not the type of translator who resorts to bodily harm.") Eric said with a wink.

Still, there was no response from either man. So, Eric got up with his brief case and opened it up. Inside he has a new type of sodium thiopental. The second he pulled out the two plastic IV bags he heard a "Humph."

Without hesitating, he swabbed each detainee with an alcohol wipe and inserted a 22-gauge needle in each of their arms. Then he hung the sodium thiopental and stretched out the IV line. Just as he was about to push it into the needle he paused to see if they would talk voluntarily.

"Mike it looks like they want to go with option B." Said Eric.

"Ultima șansă de a vorbi!" (Last chance to talk!)

Eric pressed the end of the IV line into the needle's blue plastic collar. He then removed the line stopper and the fluid started to flow. He repeated the same procedure for the other man and just as he was about to remove the line stopper he heard.

"Stop! Voi vorbi!" (Stop! I'll talk.")

Eric stood down and started to ask what they were here to do. He held a 10-minute conversation with the man with the wound. The leader was not going to be easy to crack even with the sodium thiopental. Eric found out that there were two additional teams. One as a backup for the one at the loft. And one trying to locate Kate. Which was having no luck at all. The information for the bombs was more helpful once his tongue became a lot looser. There were 40 bombs in all 10 in NYC, LA, Chicago and Dallas. He was able to get the location for all the bombs in Dallas and Chicago. He only had eight of the bomb locations for LA and seven in New York. They were set to remote detonate in less than 48 hours.

"Mike we need to locate the three bombs in the city." Eric told Mike.

"Yeah, and the 2 in LA as well." Rick added.

"So you know? Mike asked.

"I heard the tail end of the locations. Mike, do you think that the radiation detectors could find the three remaining bombs?"

"It's hard to say. In a vehicle, it would take a lot of time. In a chopper, well it'd cut that time almost in half."

"Okay, then that's the plan. Mike, me, you, and Eric will be up in the birds with the three detectors. finding these bombs is our top priority!"

"Rick, let's get rid of the two detainees and while that's being done, I want to re-tweak those detectors."

Eric and Rick released the two merc's and escorted them to his mid-town office while Mike recalibrated the detectors. Once there they placed them in a sound proof holding cell until they could be taken into custody by either the FBI or the NYPD. On the way back to the loft all Rick could do was recall how his talk with Kate went in his head…


	25. Chapter 25

XXV

Kate had called him as he was just finishing up bandaging his flesh wound. His cell chimed with a text at first asking him if it was safe for her to call. He replied that she could. His phone rang and he answered it on the first ring.

"Kate, are you okay?"

There was nothing but silence on her end.

"Kate? Talk to me."

"I'm here Rick."

He heard it immediately. The conflict in her voice. He was sure it was one of two things that could have torn her apart like this. Accepting her mother as being among the living, or completely shutting her out of her life all together.

"Kate what's wrong. Are you okay?"

"Rick, I'm torn. I really want her to tell me why she has been gone for all this time even with the urging of your mother to see her side of her story, but then there's a part of me that wants to forget that this ever happened. What do I do?"

Rick thinks as he ties off the bandage off around his arm. He has a suggestion to give her but he doesn't want to push her into something that she might regret.

"Kate, you have to know that I am in love with you, right?"

"I know." Kate replies in a small and shy voice.

"So, what I think you should do is listen to your heart. It's always helped me in situations like this."

"Babe, my brain tells me one thing and my heart is telling me another."

 _Babe? When did we start using terms of affection? I like it, though._

"Well in that case, listen to both and then decide. If you don't like what she's telling you just step away."

"Okay. So, are you alright?" Kate wanted to know.

"Kate, I was hit in the arm during the attack here at the loft. I was not hit that badly, it's only a flesh wound."

"I'm coming back there. You're hurt and I can help you!" Kate insisted.

Rick knew that she was stalling. She did not want to talk to her mother. So, he quickly told her,

"Kate, there's no need for you to break your cover. You need to resolve your situation there first. Now I need you to listen to me. We have intel that there is a second and third set of teams out there. One is searching for you and the other will try to stop us from finding the bombs here in the city."

"Okay, do they have any idea where we went?"

"No, I don't think they do. You left before they arrived. So, they won't know how or when you left. Are you armed?"

"I have my Glock and my back up .40 cal." She told him.

"How many mags do you have and are my mother and your mother armed as well?"

"I have 2 extra mags for each of my weapons and… hold on a second."

Rick heard Kate cover the receiver with her hand and ask his mother if she was armed, then nothing. She came back about 5 seconds later and told him that his mother only had her service weapon with no extra ammo, but her mother had packed a pair of Glock 19's with one extra mag for each.

"Kate keep them safe. If anyone can do this, it's you."

"I will Rick. Call me when it's safe to come back to the city."

"I will. I've got to go. I'll call you tomorrow. I love you Kate."

"I love you too. Bye Rick."

He ended the call and hoped that she could at least talk to her mother. He walked back out to the living room and met Mike and Eric. Mike was just finishing up the fine tuning of the radiation detectors. As he walked up to the pair Mike explained what they needed to do.

"Rick, I have tweaked these detectors to be accurate within 50 feet of the plutonium's source. The only problem I can figure on is that if these guys are smart, they'll mask the dirty bombs with an outside radiation source. Like a hospital or a small reactor."

"So, this will be harder for us to detect?"

"Not necessarily. Our hope is that they are caught out in the open and when we find them we can coordinate with the NYPD or the FBI move in and secure the bombs."

"Mike that's all fine and well, but what if these guys have a death wish and are able to detonate the device before we can get personnel in place to take the down?" Eric asked.

"Then, it's out of my hands. I can tell you that these devices will be very small and very portable in nature."

"So we need to look for a back pack of some kind?" Rick asked.

"That would be my guess, they would blend in with the pedestrian public and not look that suspicious." Mike added.

"Alright, let's get out a city map and start reducing possible targets. Time is getting to a critical point now." Rick said.

They all gather around the map and eliminate the less obvious targets and concentrate on more political and military targets.

Xx

Kate cautiously walked over to Martha and asks her,

"Martha, do you think that she'll answer my questions honestly?"

"Kathryn, she's your mother. She might be a spy, but she still loves you. My advice, if you choose to take it is to go easy on her. Ease into your questions. Try not to inundate her with the harder questions at first."

Kate begins to walk towards her mother and as she does so, she thinks about what to ask her. Deciding to use Martha's suggestion, she starts off with easy questions first. She taps Johanna on her shoulder as she sits down across from her.

"What's on your mind, Katie?"

"Well mom, first I think that I've outgrown the name, Katie. I know that that's how you remember me, but now I'm an adult. So please call me Kate."

"Okay, Kate. So, do you feel like talking to me now?"

"Mom, don't patronize me. You were the one who decided to leave dad and me. Have you ever thought about what your leaving could have done to him? What you did to me?"

"Katie sorry, Kate, I had been recruited into the CIA and when I was, everything that had been connected to in my old life was now just a memory. My identity was erased. Everything I had been able to accomplish prior to my "death" my law degree, all the cases that I'd won and lost were removed from the records even the classes at NYU were cleared from the records."

"Was it all worth it?"

"Kate, it's not like that. Every day I was gone all I could think about was you and your father. Then after a while of being away, I wondered if this was all worth it. I mean I was doing a job that was saving lives. But after a while it had become mundane."

"Mundane? Do you realize how that sounds? We thought you were dead, Dad started to drink and heavily. He was lost. It had taken him 7 years to finally start to live again. I don't think that he will be as forgiving as I am, if he even wants to see you."

"I know that what I did was an insult and even a mistake to both of you. If I could take it all back I would. But I can't. So, we need to move forward from here. Do you think that's possible?"

"I'm not sure. It will take a while before I am able to forgive you for this."

"I understand."

Kate got up and walked to the fridge to see if there was any bottled water there. After she was in the kitchen Martha walked up to her friend.

"So, how did it go?" She asked.

"Martha, I know damn well that you were eavesdropping."

"Yeah so? What are your thoughts?"

"I think that I have a lot to make amends for and it won't be easy, especially with Kate. She's just like her father, when she gets an opinion in her head it takes a lot for her to work through it."

Martha just looks at her shaking her head.


	26. Chapter 26

XXVI

As the old saying goes, it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack and it rings true with the three men. It could be even better said that they were trying to find a needle among needles. Mike had done such a great job with the radiation detectors that they needed to be scaled back a little when they started to pick up everything that had a radiation signature. Once that this was ironed out the three of them were back up in the choppers.

Rick was traversing from north to south. While Mike and Eric had split Manhattan in half, Mike was in charge of everything south of 97th street to Battery Park, while Eric had the north from 98th street to 215th street. Rick tried to get as close as possible but the buildings that they flew near restricted the choppers reach.

They had about 2 hours before the bombs were detonated. Rick checked his watch again and then called Mike and Eric.

"Guys, this is getting us nowhere. We need to concentrate on mid to lower Manhattan. My hope is these radicals will stay close to each other to maximize the impact of the bombs they plan to detonate."

Mike answers first "How do you want to divide up the island Rick?"

"Mike you and Eric keep your search pattern the same, just shrink it down to 58th street to Battery park. I'll keep traversing the rivers on each side."

The pilots hear the order and change course. Eric who's in a Jet Ranger 505 leans to the right as the pilot banks hard. Leveling off he looks at the detector and tells the pilot to hover for a minute. Confirming that he has a solid target he calls Mike and Rick.

"Rick, Mike I have a solid hit on one of the bombs."

"Eric, what's your location?" Rick asks.

"From what I can tell this guy is standing close to the southeast corner of 50th and 6th Ave. Give or take 50 feet. Radio City."

"Okay, I'll call the NYPD and the feds. They'll have a team there in no time. Eric keep an eye on this guy. I don't want him to get away." Rick tells him.

Eric just hovers waiting.

Rick had a possible hit, but it disappeared the second he tried to read the detector.

"Mike, the NYPD will be flying solo on the take down of Eric's guy. They told me that they are going to leave the other two FBI teams in play for our two guys." Rick told him. "Eric, did you copy that?"

"Loud and clear, Rick." Eric responds.

Rick is still moving down the Hudson and is coming up empty. Time is now critical. He needs to find this threat or a lot of people are going to die.

Xx

Martha walks over to Kate. And just looks at her. She'd give anything to help her work through her relationship with her mother.

"Kate, dear can we talk?"

"Sure, Martha. What's on your mind?"

"Well, you in fact."

"Me? Why?"

"Honestly Kate, I'm worried about you. I have known you for quite a while now. I am seeing a side of you that scares me. I know that when you become withdrawn you take the defensive. I've seen it when you were with Richard on various cases, but not as much as when you were lost in trying to solve your mother's case."

"Martha, I'm fin-"

"I know, I know, you're fine! Only you're not. On the outside, you might be fine, but inside you're falling to pieces. Your heart is breaking."

Kate just stares at her, knowing that she is half right about her emotional state.

"Well, I am hurting a little. Tell me, how would you handle something like this Martha?"

"Oh no, you don't! Kate, this is something that you are going to need to figure out on your own. I don't think I could even begin to figure out something like this, and I raised Richard!"

Kate lets out a quiet chuckle. Martha's right. Nothing good would come of putting her in an awkward position.

"Listen Kate, when you dove in too deep into a case, any case and devoted your heart and emotions into said cases, and then when it became obvious that you'd solve these cases with an outcome that you had not expected and your heart shattered in that process, who was there to help you pick up the pieces?"

"Rick was."

"And he was your rock, he helped you through whatever it was that had you doubting the result from these cases and he knew that you would fall deeper into this rabbit hole he speaks so fondly about stopping you from falling deeper into the hole."

"He does. He's always there for me."

"So I think you know what your next move should be, right?"

"I think I do. He'd want me to try to solve the problem that I'm facing head on. And if it goes badly, he'll be there for me."

"So my dear, what are you waiting for?"

Kate just gives Martha a meaningful look and then turns away heading to her mother. She approaches her mom and stands there while she is preparing a meal in the kitchen that has her thinking back to when she used to do this when she was still at home.

"Mom?"

"Kate? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. Can you take a minute or two so we can talk?"

"Sure." Johanna wipes her hands free of the chicken juice that coats her hands and looks at her daughter.

"Okay, you want to talk?"

"I do. Now, I know that what you did was your own way of finding justice for the people who could not get it. But I still have an issue with the way you did it. Faking your own death?"

"Kate, you need to understand. I was against it from the beginning. I was recruited into the CIA because of my ties with, oh, let's just say a criminal element. I had information that would put away a lot of men who thought that they were above the law."

"Alright, but what about after they were put away?"

"It's not that easy. After I had testified against these groups of men, and there were a lot of them, not just in New York, I was assigned to take down _their_ bosses. I know you, Kate, you don't leave any case unfinished and neither do I. It was my way of seeing that everyone involved had been prosecuted."

"That had to have been years ago mom. Why not come back to life then when you were done? I think it would have hurt less then-then it does now."

"That would have been so easy to do, but Kate this Russian case I just debriefed the director on is still part of that case I had been involved in when I "died" these groups are like cockroaches, they keep popping up at every turn."

"When's it going to end mom? It seems that if it weren't for Sophia's death, you'd never have come back. I might be able to somewhat see what you're doing here, but I still have my doubts. The person that you're really going to need to convince is dad. Mom, he will be shattered! Do you know what I went through after you supposedly died? He turned to the bottle! He was so pissed off that he could not be the one to save you. It's a wonder he's still alive now. I truly expected to find him dead in some gutter, choked to death on his own vomit."

"Kate, I'm so sorry that you had to go through this at such a young age. But you're right. He will not be happy to see me."

"I know that you have gone far within the CIA, but don't you think that it's time to turn over the reins to someone else?"

"Could you Kate? Could you honestly walk away from your job, give it all up?"

"Yes, yes I could. I have the love of my fiancé and with that, we can get through anything. If he asked me to drop everything and leave the NYPD right now, I'd do just that. We have no secrets between us."

A gasp sounds from the other side of the room. Both women ignore it because they both know who it came from.

"Fiancé? This is news to me? When did this momentous event happen Kate?" Alexis asks as she walks up and joins the conversation.

"Alexis, can we talk about this later? Not when I'm trying to settle this issue with my mom and then be able to stop thinking about the man I love from being blown to pieces?"

"I'm sorry Kate." She said apologetically.

"Alexis, don't think that way. I know that you have always protected your father. We will talk I promise."

"Thanks, Kate for looking out for him."

"Always."


	27. Chapter 27

"So, mom, will you come back to life? I'm sure that dad would be pissed off at first but after we both sat down with him and explained why you had to die, I'd like to think that he'd understand."

"Kate, while that sounds like a great plan do you really think it would be that practical?"

"Mom, why wouldn't it be?"

"Listen to me. I know you want everything to go back to the way it was when you were younger. And I really don't blame you. But think about this…. If your father gets the news that I'm alive, it will destroy him, Kate. I know your father, he most certainly, without a doubt despised me after I was murdered. I can tell you that while he might have buried himself in a bottle, he blames himself for what happened to me. Do you realize how he feels now? The fact that you could not get justice for him by solving a murder that really never happened? It has made him feel less than a man. No, Kate, this will only end badly."

"So that's it? You are going to stay dead?"

"Kate, give me a scenario that has a better outcome and I'll listen to it. For now, I think that it will be better off if I stay dead."

"That's where you're wrong Jo." Martha said and Alexis was nodding her head in agreement.

"I've seen Richard when he was faced with the worst of situations, and in my heart, I know that with his ability and with all of us helping you, you can do this. Sure, it might be tough at first and if I know Jim as well as you do, this will break him. I'm not denying that. But with our help, I think that we can put him back to together and you will be able to love him again."

"Martha, I never stopped loving him."

"Well then to me it seems like you've made your decision!"

Xx

Rick was informed by the NYPD that they had one suspect in custody and the bomb squad was dismantling the backpack bomb he carried. He told Eric to join up with Mike and search, but he wanted to switch the pattern, He was going to take Mike's pattern from the battery to 48th street and back while Mike and Eric were going to concentrate on the Westside and the Eastside. They had about an hour and ten minutes before the deadline. Mike was over near the FDR and Rick thought he heard him on the radio.

"Eric, get over to Mike. He's near the FDR somewhere in the mid-30's. All I can hear is static when he transmits."

"You got it, boss." With the command heard, the pilot banks hard once more. He's just about to call Mike when he transmits again.

"Eric, I have a positive hit on a bomb signature. It's close to 30th and first."

"Mike, there's nothing but residential houses there. What's the target?" Eric asked shaking his head.

"Eric any way that these guys can inflict pain, death, and injury they'll do it. It doesn't matter where they attack."

"I'm going to call the FBI team and give them this location. I'll hover here with you until they get here." Eric said.

"Eric, what's Rick doing now?"

"He's traversing back and forth between 48th and the battery. I sure hope that he finds the last bomb in time. There are only about 20 minutes left."

"I know, I know." Mike repeated sadly.

Rick had been splitting the island in half by flying up and down Broadway, from Battery Park to 48th street. His pilot is just passing the heliport on the East river and starting to turn back up Broadway when it happens. Somewhere in front of them either in Brooklyn or Governors Island there is a brilliant flash of light. He's blinded by the intensity even with his eyes closed. One of his last thoughts was that whatever intel they had thought they extracted from the Romanians at the time, as he thinks back to the interrogation, he now knows they would not be telling the truth. The chopper starts to pitch and spin… downward. The effects of the EMP have done their job. Rick could feel his stomach traveling up to his throat. They were not carrying a dirty bomb, they actually had a .5 or larger kiloton device he thought. One that had released enough power to level either the visitors center on Governors Island or 10 to 15 city blocks in Cobble Hill in Brooklyn.

Mike and Eric see the flash all the way from 30th and 1st. They are out of the EMP effective zone so they stay in flight and watch through binoculars as Rick's pilot fights to keep control of the chopper. Eric calls Mike on the radio…

"Mike, come in."

"Mike, I repeat come in, please answer me!"

He hears nothing but static in return. His pilot points to his headphones and the hand across the throat, telling him that the radio was knocked out by the EMP, but thankfully they have not lost any electronic flight controls, thrust or power.

Both pilots are now hovering across from each other around 900 feet using hand signals to communicate. They decide to land one of the choppers at the heliport and use only one. Within minutes the NYPD is launching choppers of their own for the rescue efforts. They set down and Eric and his pilot transfer to Mike's bird. They are airborne once again.

As Rick sees the fast-approaching water all he can do is hope that they land in a shallow portion of it. Neither of them expects the wind from the blast to affect the chopper. At 300 feet, the bird is tossed around like a toy being pushed back towards Manhattan. The last thing he remembers as the chopper goes down is passing over the Staten Island ferry terminal, crossing State and Water streets then getting blown back towards the building that Stanley Morgan occupies before hitting the ground in an explosion of sound. Glass breaking and metal twisting as they skid to a stop his world fades to blackness.

Xx

Kate sits on the couch wondering how her mother is trying to sort through all she needs to sort through to talk to her dad. She, Martha Alexis and of course Rick will be there for her to give her all the support she needs to get through this. She only hoped that she will make the right choice.

Alexis walks over and sits down next to Kate. She has a bad feeling about her dad, a lot like when he was in the shootout with Kate not that long ago.

"Kate I think that something happened to dad." Alexis told her painfully.

"What makes you think that sweetie?"

"I'm not sure but I just have a feeling that something's wrong with dad. Like a presentiment of sorts. Something's not right Kate."

"How about if we give him a call? This will put both our minds at ease."

"Okay, Kate. Alexis agrees.

Kate pulls her phone from her pocket and dials Rick. She expects him to answer but she only hears a fast-busy signal. So, she tries again. As with the first call, this one too goes to the busy signal. Alexis looks at Kate as she redials once more with a heartbreaking look on her face. Kate ends the last call and takes her hand.

"Alexis, let's not think that _anything_ has happened to your dad. I'm sure that he's only busy finding the men who are going to try to cause the city a lot of problems."

"Kate, somethings wrong. Can you get a hold of Mike?"

"Let me give him a call, maybe he knows something."


	28. Chapter 28

XXVIII

Kate dialed Mike's phone and she is met with the same fast busy signal that she got when she called Rick. Sensing that Alexis might be right about her feeling she decides to get some information first hand.

"Lex, turn on the TV and see if you can find anything out." Kate asked.

Alexis picked up the remote control and turned on the small 19" TV and sat back down. The three major networks in the city were in the same network that was in Millbrook. She tuned in CBS and when the vertical colored pattern came on with the small white notice that they were off the air, Kate suddenly felt sick.

"Lex, try ABC and NBC."

Alexis flipped to the stations and the same colorful pattern was present. The only difference was that the sign read that they were having technical difficulties. Alexis knew that this was not going to end in their favor so she hesitated when she looked over to Kate. Kate looked at her and said,

"Alexis, your father is a very strong man. And I'm sure that he was nowhere near whatever happened in the city."

"No offense Kate, but I'm not going to believe that until I see it with my own two eyes."

Alexis got off the couch and went to her room and closed the door. She laid down on the bed and buried her head in the pillow and started to cry whispering _" I can't lose you, dad."_

Kate needed more that a colorful pattern to believe anything had happened. She tuned into CNN and stood there in shock not moving her eyes from the screen.

"Martha, please go and get Alexis, she needs to see this...now!"

Martha ran to her room and knocked on the door asking Alexis to return to the living room. Then Martha and Johanna strode over to where Kate stood. After Alexis cleaned up her tears she came back.

The cycle of news had started to repeat as Alexis walked back in and sat down. The watched in terror as the reporter told of how there was an explosion in the city.

 _"This is Connie Chung. We're giving you an update on the massive explosion that happened in the Cobble Hill section of Brooklyn. For that, we are going to go to John Andrews who's close to the scene. John..."_

 _"Yes Connie, the explosion happened at 1:36 this afternoon. From what I can see since all news agencies are being restricted to the lower tip of Manhattan it looks like a war zone from where I'm standing. There are a couple of buildings that sustained heavy damage that we can see." The reporter presses his ear bud harder to his ear to listen to his producer._

 _"It seems that this explosion was the result of a lone terrorist who released a 1 kiloton yield from a portable device. Emergency crews are on the scene and from what I can see from my vantage point they are all wearing protective radiation suits."_

 _"John, can you see any survivors? Connie asks._

 _"At the present time no. But that's not to say that there are not any there."_

 _The scene goes to black and Connie appears back on the screen._

 _"That was John Andrews reporting from lower Manhattan. We'll have more as this story develops and more facts are released."_

Xx

As he comes to, all he can feel is the pain. That, and as he opens his eyes it's like he can't see even with them open. Then his sense of smell is assaulted. The chopper's cockpit is filled with the smell of jet fuel and burning plastic. It's then he thinks that he will burn alive in this cockpit.

"Eric, get him out! The jet fuel will ignite and we'll lose them both!"

"Mike, I can't get the damned door open. It buckled closed when the chopper hit the ground."

Mike reached down and picked up a piece of concrete that was lying near the wreck. He smashed the door's window and cleared the frame of any jagged glass.

"Rick, Rick, wake up!" Mike yelled.

When he looked in he noticed blood dripping from Rick's forehead. And his left arm was pinned between the existing stretcher rack and the rear seat. This was probably an air ambulance before it was converted. Mike shakes Rick to get him more alert. Since the rush of clean air has entered the cockpit the smoke is clearing out. Rick blinks rapidly and focuses on his friend.

"What happened, Mike?" He asks.

"No time for that. We need to get you out of here."

Mike turns around and tells Eric to check on the pilot. As he does he looks around the crash site to find something he can pry the seat from Rick's pinned arm. He's found half of a steel sign post with a "No Parking Anytime" sign attached to the top end. He returns and as he looks out the left window of the chopper he sees flames licking the side of the door. Fearing that the chopper will be quickly engulfed in flames he tries to pry Rick out.

"Rick, how badly are you hurt?" Mike asks.

"I'm sure that my arm is broken, how bad it is I won't know until you can get me loose. I also have a rather large cut on my head."

"Okay, we will get that taken care of. For now, just try to help me get you free."

"Okay, Mike."

Eric returns dragging the pilot under his arms and stops near where Mike is using the signpost the free Rick. Mike startles when Eric slaps him on the back still trying to keep the pilot from falling.

"Eric, how is he?"

All Eric can do is shake his head at Mike. The pilot came to rest near the sidewalk and the remainder of the sign pole that he was using to free Rick had pierced the front windshield and caught him in the chest killing him. Mike seeing the sorrow on his face knew.

"Eric get him out and over across Water street. Just in case."

Eric nods and starts to drag him away. Mike goes back to free Rick. Once he finds a point where he can get a good bite to separate Rick's arm from the seat he applies force to the pole and Rick screams as his arm comes free. Mike drags him through the opening of the door where the window was. Standing him up he slips his hand around his shoulder and takes his other hand and drapes it over his. As they limp towards Eric who is about forty yards away, the ignition of remaining jet fuel in the chopper sends them both flying forward landing about fifty feet from Eric.

Xx

As more news unfolds about the terror in the city Kate longs to be with him. She knows that Alexis does to so she has made up her mind.

"Alright everybody we're leaving. NOW!"

"Kate, are you sure that's a good idea? It will be hard to get even close to where this happened." Her mother states.

"I don't care! I'm still a cop suspended or not. I can help. So we're leaving." Kate says with an authoritative tone.

Everyone packs up what little they had and piles into the Mercedes SUV. Leaving the safe house behind she hopes that her gut feeling is wrong but deep down she knows that something is wrong with him. She now can admit that she's in love with him with her whole heart and needs to tell him this in person. The ride back to the city takes a little longer because of the traffic problems they deal with. But soon after dropping off Alexis, Martha and her mom with the promise of texting them hourly updates she pulls away from the loft. Her first stop is back to the twelfth knowing that she will definitely be met with resistance from her captain.

Montgomery looks on through the two-way glass as his two lead detectives question the one man of the second team of men that were uncovered trying to carry out the second wave of bombs that were in play. If it wasn't for Rick and his team they would have never known that such a team was out there. EOD had rendered their weapons inactive and were being stored safely as evidence. Seeing that the interview was going nowhere since the suspect had not uttered a single syllable, he turned and left the observation room. As he did he ran straight into Beckett.

"Beckett, what on earth are you doing here?"

"Sir, I'd like to help. Only I'm still suspended but you could reinstate me? It sounded more like a question as she spoke it.

"Beckett, Kate why are you really here?"

She could never fool him. He could always see right through her. So she came clean.

"Sir, I need to find Rick. I can feel that something is wrong, so very wrong. I can't get a hold of him and I'm worried."

"Kate with all that's going on down there, I'd doubt that you could even get close to the site. Hell, I can't even find out anything yet. 1PP has put a media blackout on every reporter there. The only information that they are getting is what they see."

"Sir, please let me come back. I'll do anything!"

Montgomery sighed. How could he resist her request? So he gave her a nod.


	29. Chapter 29

After telling Kate to stay put and Roy walked back to his office to retrieve her shield and department issued weapon. He really did want to reinstate her but he needed to warn her about the threat that was still lurking. They made progress on her cousins murder and were close to arresting a suspect. That's where Espo and Ryan were right now. They followed every lead and those leads led them to two Romanians. Once he was sure they were taken into custody he would breathe a little easier. He opened his safe and secured her sidearm and shield. He shook his head wondering why he even thought she'd stay in the safe house for this long. He seriously thought she'd be back here in less than a week. He turned and walked back out of his office.

"Kate, here is your sidearm and shield, try not to cause that much trouble." Roy asked her.

"Roy, I just need to make sure that he's okay. I need to see it with my own eyes. When I do, I will be back and since I am back to full duty I plan on helping Kevin and Javi with the investigation into my cousin's murder."

"Yeah, I thought you might. Go Kate find him so your mind is at ease. I'll tell Espo and Ryan to meet you at the scene."

"About that sir, do you have any information on Rick?"

"Kate, the last intel I had was that all three of them had been in choppers trying to locate the dirty bombs. Mike and Eric found their targets but the one Rick was hunting down turned out to be a full release nuclear weapon. It yielded from what I'm told just under a kiloton. But that information is still sketchy at best. There was a report from the NYPD aviation unit that a Bell Ranger 505 went down somewhere around Water street. I have not been able to confirm or deny this."

Kate went white as a sheet. She knew Rick had preferred the larger helicopter. Her legs had turned to rubber as she thought of the implications that a downed chopper could cause. Grabbing onto the desk closest to her she held herself up from falling to the floor.

"Beckett, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Roy, Rick was the one in the Bell Ranger 505. I'm sure of it." She confirmed.

"Kate go NOW. Get the hell over to that scene and report in once you have any kind of update!" Roy pleaded.

Kate went back to her desk and grabbed her coat and the keys for her cruiser. Once down in the parking garage after taking the stair steps three at a time she jumped in her unmarked and started the car. Backing out of the spot the tires were still spinning in reverse when she threw it into drive and mashed the gas pedal. Smoke was filling the garage as the tires started to spin in the other direction. As she got airborne leaving the garage thanks to the slight incline leaving the garage she had the wheel turned to the right when she made contact with the street again and the car responded accordingly. Depressing the gas pedal she reached upwards to 120 MPH. She was thankful that lower Manhattan had no vehicular traffic due to the chaos in Brooklyn. She sped down Varick Street down to Beach then turned left which turned into Walker. She flew through Walked for the two blocks and slowed at Broadway and turned right. From then she was driving like a speed demon. She slowed at Chambers street and again at Liberty street for red lights but blew through them after making sure they were clear. Driving on the wrong side of the road after she was met with traffic near State street she almost had the car on two wheels as she took the sharp left onto Water street. Passing Moore street she looked for anything that stood out. Looking to the right she noticed the twisted shell of a Bell Ranger lying on it's side. Slamming on the brakes the car came to a stop almost next to the wreck. Removing her seat belt as she threw the car into park she jumped out of the car and as she did she drew her sidearm. Running over to the wreck, there was no one there. She focused her sights on the interior of the chopper. The side window was blown out and there was a large steel post sticking out of the windshield. She knew that the pilot was either badly injured or he perished right here. She circled back around to the side door. Sticking her head in there was fire damage on the outside of the whole fuselage. Peeking in to view the seating area, the first thing she noticed was the blood. There was a lot of it. She hoped that he was alright. Turning to head back to her car she almost ran right into Eric. Noticing him she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.

"Kate, when did you get back into the city?" Eric asked.

"I just got back about an hour ago. Eric where's Rick?"

"Kate he was hurt badly in the wreck. His arm was pinned so Mike needed to pry his arm out in order to prevent him from being burned to death."

"Where did they take him?"

They evacuated him to New York-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital. Right now he's in the ER getting stitches for a gash he got when he crashed. His arm, well I'm not too sure about what that needs to get fixed. But he was in a lot of pain when he left here. When Eric looked up to tell Kate that he'd go with her back to the hospital she was already back in the car gunning the engine.

"You coming or what?" She yelled out from the open window.

He hadn't even closed the car door when he was sent deep into the front seat. They drove north on Water street and before they knew it they were turning left onto Fulton St. then a quick right onto William street and she came to a skidding stop right in front of the hospital. She left the car parked with the official NYPD all access parking decal thrown up on the dash. Running into the ER entrance with Eric they were stopped at the sight before them. There were about 300 badly injured people waiting to be seen. Most with 1st-degree burns and some with 3rd-degree burns as well. Those men and women would not probably survive the night. Kate walked up to the nurse's station and asked her about Rick.

"Have you admitted a man in his mid-forties that was in a helicopter crash?" She said as she showed her shield.

"Actually, he's in with the doctor right now. He is ordering an MRI of his humerus and his left clavicle. He might need surgery because the humerus might be compounded. I'll have more for you in about 10 minutes if you have a seat over there I'll let you know what the result was."

Rick was lucky. The doctor told him that surgery was not needed for his arm. He did require about 31 stitches from his scalp down to his temple. The doctor had told him as he was placing his arm in a sling and that he was to keep from using it for the next 4 to 6 weeks.

"Listen, Mr. Castle, there are more serious cases waiting out there for me to attend to, so I need to get to it. You'll be fine with what I've set up. Just get some rest." The doctor gives him a wink and turns out to the onslaught of what is in the ER.

Rick makes his arm a little more comfortable and to ease the pain in the sling by tightening it closer to his body. Happy with the result he leaves the MRI room and heads for the ER exit. He is just about back to where he started when he is knocked off his feet by a flash of brunette hair and arms being locked around his neck. His first thought is cushioning the fall so he takes her weight and falls backward to the floor. Kate raises up placing her hands on his chest and looks down at him waiting for him to open his eyes.

"Rick? Rick? Are you okay?"

"I am now! When did you get back?" He asks as he wraps her in a hug trying to get up off the floor.

"I met Eric at the crash site and came right here. He's in the waiting room. Are you hurt?"

"I just have stitches from the crash on my scalp. Other than that I'm doing okay."

"Are you cleared to leave here?"

"I am, so let's get back to the loft. We need to talk about a lot. Where's Mike? Have you seen him?"

"No. Eric told me that they were separated right after they dropped you off here. It was just dumb luck Eric came back to the crash site hoping Mike would return there."

They left the ER and met up with Eric. They told him that they needed to find Mike. The trio went back to Kates car and they headed back to the loft.


	30. Chapter 30

XXX

The second Rick arrives at the loft, he was on the phone with the FBI team that was hunting for the remaining terrorists. The other members from the second team have heard from Mike but his whereabouts right now are not known. Ending the call, he decides to try out a theory.

"Kate, Eric there is a way we can flush out these other teams that seem to be eluding the Feds."

"Rick, what do you have in mind?"

"Something that will put an end to this once and for all. So, here's what I was thinking."

"We have the intel from the team of two that you found near Radio City. Their targets were vague, but what if we used the detectors to track down the last three teams?"

"That's a really great idea, Rick! There's only one problem." Eric tells him.

"Oh, and what's that?"

"Your radiation detector was damaged in the crash so far beyond repair to be useful in time. Mike who we can't get a hold of has his god only knows where. And the Feds took mine to track down the second teams in play."

"God Damnit! Now, what the hell are we going to do?"

"Rick, what about this new intel you said the Feds found on the first strike team?" Kate asked.

"It had possible secondary targets if the first ones were not hit by a certain time. And the bomb that went off in Brooklyn might have shaken them a little."

"So you think that they might retreat?" She suggested.

"That's my hope. What do we have in the form of wheels here?"

"All we have is the Benz and my unit. Why what are you thinking now?"

"What if we drive to the possible targets and search door to door?" Rick suggested.

"Rick I know that you want to find these bastards, but what you're thinking about doing is going to take a lot of time."

"Eric, please show me an alternative!"

"I can't." Eric replied miserably.

"Alright, we need to take a break. Let's take five minutes to recharge and get a handle on what we need to do." Kate said.

"Agreed," Both men say.

"Rick, I need to talk to you."

Kate pulls on his good arm and walks past his mother giving her a wink as she does. When she gets to his office she shuts the door and thinks for a second before talking to him.

"Kate, what's up?"

"Rick, there is something I need to tell you." Kate tells him as she tucks a lock of hair behind her ear nervously.

"Okay, is it about these guys we're going after?" He asked her hoping that she had another idea.

"No."

Is it about your mom?" He then asked regrettably.

She steps back a step and narrows her eyes at him closer.

"No, it's not, but what do you know about that?"

"Kate, that's not why you asked me to come in here and talk about. Now, what's on your mind?"

"I love you!" Okay.

"And?"

"And what? Rick, it took a lot for me to admit to you that I'm in love with you?"

"It did?" He said with a neutral expression.

"Well, yes it did. Why don't you believe me?"

Then she sees it, his apathetic look starts to turn into a grin, and then a small smile but before she can say a word to him he's giving her his megawatt smile.

"You're trying to put me in an early grave aren't you?!"

"Oh come on Kate, you must have known that I am in love with you too… Right?"

"Yeah well, I was thinking you did."

Rick walks over to her and wraps his good arm around her shoulder and brings her closer to him. He hesitates for a second before kissing her. The second they make contact he is requesting access past her lips which she easily grants.

For her, the second they meet she feels nothing short of an electrical charge humming through her body. When he asks for her lips to part she does so without question. Soon the kiss ends and she is left wanting so much more than this.

Kate, I'd love to stay here and do this all day long. But there is something that we really need to address. I promise that we'll talk to each other in depth. But right now, we need to find these guys. Is that okay?"

Without hesitation, she nods her head not trusting her voice because he has turned her into a very large puddle of goo from just one kiss. She's not even sure if her legs still work.

"So, now that we are in agreement that we are in love with each other… can we go back and talk to Eric?"

Again she nods. He takes her hand and they walk out of his office. Eric is on the phone and as they walk up he's coming close to ending the call.

"What? No, we want to locate him, he was with the Feds somewhere around 2nd and 40th street. No, I don't want to know if he's on the deceased list! What? No, he's not dead, he was with Agents Williams and Addams."

Rick whispers Eric "who's on the phone?"

Eric makes a swatting gesture towards Rick not really looking at him, but as his hand comes down he inadvertently hits his arm that's in the sling. All Rick sees are stars. He bites his tongue to stop from screaming out. Eric ends the call and turns to Rick to tell him the news, but instead, he sees tears running down his red cheeks with Kate soothing him.

"Rick, what gives, Mike's not dead." Eric says when he thinks that Rick overheard that Mike might have died.

"Eric, sometimes you can be so dense!" Kate screamed.

"What? What's wrong?"

"You just smacked Rick's bad arm."

"Oh shit Rick, I'm so sorry you know how animated I get when I have good news."

Okay, Eric, I'll bite… what's the good news?"

"It seems that Mike is indeed alive. But the better news is that the Feds told me that we caught a break and that the prevailing southwesterly winds have dissipated much of the possible radiation fallout."

"Now that is good news. Any word on where Mike is exactly?"

"They already have one of the second teams in custody. He's with the agents and they are close to apprehending the second team of three."

"It seems that they have made our jobs just a little easier." Kate said.

"That they have, let's go!" Rick adds.

They are heading to the last possible target that's on their list. The Feds pull up alongside Kate's unmarked Crown Vic.

"Agents Addams and Williams it's good to be working with you. Do you have any further intel on our suspects?"

"Actually we do. The leader of the team that we interrogated told us that the open-air market up on West 52nd street is the likely target. It will allow them to maximize casualties and the theater district will be directly impacted by the bomb."

"Okay, do you have a plan of attack?" Rick asked.

"I was thinking that we can spread out and we can take this side of 52nd street and your team can work the other side of the street."

"What if we place Eric here in the crowd at the market to roam around, while myself and Kate will split up the street." Rick suggested.

"That'll work. But are you sure that you can be effective with that arm of yours?"

"I'm sure. Kate will be only a call away with the two-way." Then the agents both agreed.

Both teams got out of their cars and started their recon. Rick was walking west on 52nd while Kate was walking south. The same pattern the agents were searching on the opposite side of the street. Addams had a possible target he was going to confront, but it turned out to be a college student with all of his books bulging out of his backpack. Kate thought she had a match about 15 minutes into their search. She approached the suspect and he looked a little rattled. He was cautiously looking around with no specific destination in mind. As she looked closer he had a sheen of sweat along his forehead. She drew her weapon and held it hidden alongside her leg. She transmitted the next message.

"All units, I have the suspect. I'm on the north side of the 52nd street directly across from the market. He has a blue denim jacket, blue jeans, and is carrying a black backpack."

Addams is next to transmit,

"Detective, do not engage, I repeat do not engage. Stand down and observe, unless the situation escalates we will circle back and close in on the suspect from the west heading towards you."

Addams and Williams crossed the street and immediately noticed the mid-thirtyish looking man with the black backpack. They make eye contact with Kate and they close the noose tighter. The suspect never sees the agents coming at him from the west. But he does notice that Kate is walking quickly towards him and turns to flee. Addams and Williams are about 50 feet away from the suspect when they hear "NYPD, stop. Put your hands up."

It seems that a Midtown North beat cop had recognized the suspect from the APB and has now decided to be the hero. The suspect wheels around away from the agents and as he does he draws on the beat cop and Kate with a B&T MP9. As Kate sees the submachine gun she dives to the ground for cover knowing that the machine gun is no match for a police issue weapon. The beat cop in however not that quick and takes 4 rounds to his vest knocking him backward, but it's the fifth round that hits its mark. The 5th bullet hits the cop as he is falling in the head. He was never able to draw his sidearm. Kate gets up and takes a run at the suspect, but before she can get up any speed to cover the ground two shots ring out and the suspect just stands there. She slows and stands to full height and watches as the suspect just stands there. First, his arms fall to his sides limply. Then the MP9 falls from his grip. Three seconds later the small trickle of blood starts running down his forehead and then he just falls forward in a heap on the sidewalk. She looks past the suspect lying on the ground and sees agents Williams and Addams in the weaver stance, their weapons still smoking.

"Cover me, Addams, I'm going to check this guy out." Kate yells to him. Addams nods and Kate holsters her weapon.

She approaches cautiously and when she's sure he's dead she rolls the suspect over. Carefully unzipping the backpack her eyes land on the device. The timer is set to go off in 12 minutes. She gets to her feet and backs up.

"Williams, get EOD here now. We have 12 minutes to disable this bomb."

Williams is on the phone within seconds talking to EOD. Kate retreats back with the agents.

"EOD says they will have a team here in 4 minutes." Williams reports.

Kate looks to make sure that the team is intact. Addams and Williams are here with her, but Rick is nowhere to be found. She lost his position when the firefight started. She turns scanning the street for him and Eric and comes up empty. Then she hears Eric transmitting over the two-way.

"Addams, Williams, Kate, Rick and I just spotted the target. He's walking through the market and we're behind him. He's acting like a madman waving his hands around in the air."

All three team members look at each other in total shock. Never did they expect two possible bombs at the same location. When they were starting this operation, she wondered why she never heard anything from Rick and Eric on the radio. She looks down to the channel selector and realizes that she and the agents were transmitting on TAC 2. Rick and Eric must have been on TAC 4. Just as she turns to head into the market the sound of an MP9 resound through the crowded market…

 **Merry Christmas to all those who celebrate it!**


	31. Chapter 31

XXXI

The MP9 gunfire had slowed. Kate and agent Williams ran across 52nd Street with agent Adams following about 50 feet behind. So far behind them that he almost got struck by a taxi running across the street. By the time they entered the Farmers Market, the gunfire had almost stopped. They drew their weapons and moved cautiously into the market. What they saw as their weapons dropped to their sides was nothing short of a miracle. Although men, women, and children were wounded they were still alive but nothing Kate noticed was life threatening.

They ventured deeper into the market, passed the booths that housed the various fruits and vegetables available for purchase and came to an open area. There standing over a dead body presumably the terrorist was Rick and Eric. Eric had already cuffed the suspect even though it was not necessary. Rick was holding his Sig P229 .40 caliber on the suspect. As Eric rose up from cuffing the suspect, Rick patted him on the back. And just as she had done in the hospital, Kate had taken a running leap directly towards him. The only saving grace was that Eric had caught sight of her leaping towards him and warned him.

When they collided he was already braced for her impact. She was all over him the second they met, kissing him enthusiastically.

"Rick I was so sure that I'd find you lying here shot and bleeding out!" Kate said between kisses.

"Never, because then we'd never have our always."

About 10 minutes later the lead agents from the FBI teams that had taken down the three other teams had arrived. They needed to debrief Rick, Kate, Eric and the two other agents. When they had told them what had happened they were surprised that there were no casualties. After the debrief, Rick had one more worry.

"Mr. Castle I don't think that we could have made it in time to arrest the other teams without your information. For that, the FBI is in your debt."

"Agent Macari, there's one last item we need to tell you about. The suspect ran in here shouting loudly that he was going to kill everyone in the market. Raised his arms and waving them around and then he started to act like a crazy man. It's the weirdest thing I've ever seen!" Rick said.

"Actually, maybe it's not. You see, the containment cylinder that they placed the anthrax into had ruptured inside the backpack on one other suspect. This resulted in the powder coating the inside of the pack. Then since there was a little moisture in the air this morning and these guys had been wearing the backpacks for the last 8 to 10 hours, the anthrax transferred through the pack and worked its way into their skin. It was only a matter of time before the effects were felt essentially driving them crazy. This is probably what happened with your suspect. That's why you spotted him acting the way he did."

"Wow!" Rick's team said all together.

"Well, it looks like we're done here. If we need anything further, we'll be in touch." Before he turns away agent Macari gives Williams a one-eyed wink and a nod. Williams returns it with one of his own.

And just like that the threat was over and done with. Now came the time for Kate to face her mother. He knew that it'd be hard for her but he'd be there for her no matter what.

"So, who wants a drink?" Rick asked. Everyone nodded. As they started to walk out of the market a car came to a screeching halt almost right in front of them. The door swung open and out jumped Mike. With weapon in hand, he rushed up to them.

"Rick, I'm here! Where do you need me?" Mike said gasping for breath.

"Whoa, slow down Mike. The suspect has been detained. All that's left to do is to let the EMT's finish their jobs. We're finished, the threat has been neutralized."

Mike holsters his Glock and hugs Rick tightly.

"Mike I know that you've missed me, but come on we're in public." Rick joked with him.

"What happened to your arm?"

"Long story. Hey, we were just about to get a drink to celebrate. Let's go!"

"You don't have to tell me twice, let's go! First round is on you!"

Rick just looked at him for a couple of seconds and then broke out into a smile.

"Yeah, the first round is on me." Everyone started to laugh.

After the drinks were finished, Mike and Eric had to complete paperwork back at Rick's office in mid-town. That left agents Williams and Addams. While they were glad that they caught the all the teams that were going to harm the city, and they thoroughly enjoyed working with Rick and his team.

"Well agent Williams, it looks like this is it." Rick said as he wrapped his good arm around Kate.

"You know Rick, it doesn't have to be."

Rick looked at the agent a little stunned trying to figure out what he meant. But he had a very good idea.

"Oh?" Rick said raising his eyebrow.

"I have it on the highest authority that the bureau could use a man with your background and insight and talents."

Agent Williams, I think that I'll be happiest solving murders with the 12th. But, thanks for the offer just the same, you see I already have everything a man could ask for."

"Well if you ever decide to change your mind, you know where to find us."

"I do agent Williams, I do."

Williams and Addams thanked him for the drinks and they turned and left. And now it was only Kate and Rick left standing.

"You know that you need to face this right?" Rick asked Kate as he hugged her tighter.

"Yeah, I know. Will you help me?"

"Kate that's a no brainer. You know that I will support you whatever your decision is."

"That's just it Rick, I'm lost here. On one hand, I want my mom back. But on the other, she's been a spy for so long that I don't think that she'll be able to adapt to having the life she had before she was murdered. Kate added the "murdered" part with air quotes.

"Kate let's take this one step at a time. Since it's almost dinner, what do you say to some take out for everyone and after that, then we'll let her lay out all the cards on the table."

"Sounds good. What did you have in mind?"

"Thai or Sichuan or maybe Cantonese?"

"I really like Cantonese, the way they prepare it it's so good."

"Cantonese it is then."

Rick calls in the order, enough for five people. They'll pick it up on the way home. Since it's a short walk to pick up the food they opt to walk there and then to the loft. As they walk Kate has some concerns and voices them to Rick.

"Rick, what if I don't like her choice?"

"Kate, I don't mean to sound insensitive, but up until about a week ago, you never knew that she was even alive. In reality, and in your heart, you have already mourned her. Sure, now that you know that she's still alive and if she decides to stay dead you'll always wonder what she is doing and you'll grieve all over again."

"But what do I do?"

"Kate, as much as it hurts me to say this, this is her decision. You'll just need to get through it."

They walked into the Cantonese restaurant and picked up their food. The walk to the loft was a short one and soon they were at the door.

"It sounds quiet in there." Rick said trying to hear voices through the door with his ear pressed against it.

"I don't know if that's a good or bad thing." Kate replied.

They swung the door open and walked in. With the amazing aroma of the food drifting through the loft they did not have to wait long before the kitchen area was filled with Rick's family. He served everyone each their own meal and they sat down to enjoy a stress-free meal. That was until Kate's mom made her statement.

"Kate, I've decided to have your dad over tomorrow morning. That is if Rick agrees to this. Martha will call him and ask him to come over."

Kate just stared at her, her mouth hanging open…


	32. Chapter 32

"MOM? Are you sure that you've thought about what this will do to dad?"

"I have and my decision was a hard one to make. And I did take into consideration how he will feel after I tell him. But this needs to be done once and for all he needs to know. What I need from you, is your support, will you help me?"

"Mom it's not that simple. Dad will be crushed, I think instead of you coming back to him hoping that this will end with his understanding, this will ruin him. And even if you do decide to come clean, I seriously think he will loathe you."

Seeing that this conversation will most definitely take a turn for the worse, Rick steps up and comments on the situation.

"Kate, Johanna, what we need here is a foolproof plan. So we're going to need to get Jim on the same playing field. So, what I'm suggesting is that instead of having him come here tomorrow, I will meet with him on my own. What I'll do then is break him in with facts about you, and what your mission was before you died."

"Rick, are you sure that this is even a better plan? He will have a hard time believing that mom was a CIA agent. He remembers her as a lawyer for the exploited and oppressed." Kate asked.

"Kate think about it for a second, this might be the best way to go about it. To be caught off guard like this will be to Rick's advantage. He'll think that something other than my coming back to life will be talked about."

"Okay, we'll try it your way. But don't be too surprised if this backfires on you."

Xx

There were many times Jim had thought about taking a drink. But he was always brought back to the years right after Joanna died. It was the way Kate had made him see that the road he was on was only going to lead him down the path to being a becoming a full-blown alcoholic. If it wasn't for Kate, he doesn't know where he'd be right now. She brought him back from the brink many, many times. Not once did she ever ask for anything in return. So, when he received a phone call from Rick he was skeptical at first. The first thing that should have tipped him off was the diner where he asked to meet him. Rick knew that this diner was close to his heart. It's where Jo and himself had gone after they found out that Jo was going to be a mom.

Deciding to get to the diner early to see if Rick was there before he was, he left his home about an hour before the meeting. Walking into the diner he is met by a waitress who seats him promptly. As he takes in his surroundings he notices that this place hasn't changed that much since he's been here last. The waitress comes up to the booth and asks for his order. He just orders black coffee and nothing else. When she leaves after taking his order he scans around the room and comes up empty. Rick has yet to arrive. Having time on your hands to think about what might happen is a terrible thing. He knows it's nothing to do with his daughter but he still can't wrap his mind around the fact that this is going to be bad news. Whatever it is.

It seems that Rick had the same idea that Jim did. As the bell above the door dings, Jim turns to look over his shoulder to see who entered the diner. His eyes catch Rick with his arm in a sling. He slowly walks to where he is hoping he will give him an explanation for what happened.

Rick takes the remaining seat across from him and he can see the look in his eyes that he thinks that something's wrong. If it were only that easy. He wants to start off easy, but he knows that this conversation calm as it might be to start, it will definitely turn darker later.

"Jim it's good to see you. How have you been?" Rick asks extending his hand.

"Hey Rick, I'm doing good. Can't really complain that much, work is keeping me busy and soon I'm thinking about retiring from the firm. Today's laws are getting out of hand and you need you need to be on top of that in order to survive in this world."

"I can't envision a Jim Beckett retiring. I just hope you find something to do in your spare time to keep you occupied." Rick tells him.

"It shouldn't be a problem Rick, I can see myself at the cabin upstate fishing my life away."

"Jim, you might want to hold off on retiring for right now."

"Rick does this have anything to do with what you came to talk to me about today."

Rick hangs his head gathering his thoughts. He knows that Jim knows this conversation will be challenging, to say the least.

"Jim, what I have to say today is going to shock you, and maybe piss you off, to say the least. And I'm not quite sure how to put it to you so that it wouldn't make sense to you."

"Rick sometimes it's just better to bite the bullet. Come right out and tell me what it is you need to say."

"It's not that easy Jim, it has a lot to do with your possible relapse if this goes sideways."

Jim leans into the center of the table and looks at Rick telling him with his eyes that everything will be okay. It's kind of freaky Rick thinks to himself.

"Just tell me, son, rip the Band-Aid off, so to speak."

"Okay where to start, this won't make any sense to you unless I start from the beginning."

"Okay, Rick then start from the beginning." Jim suggests.

"Back in 1999 when Joanna was murdered in the alley, she was actually working on two separate cases. The first one you know about Pulgatti, the second case, however, was something that drew her into what she is now."

"Rick, she's nothing now, she died 15 years ago."

"Jim, that's what they'd like you to believe, but I'm here to tell you that you're dead wrong. Sorry, no pun intended."

Jim just looked at Rick like he's crazy! He of all people knows the story behind her death, he's been over the case file too many times to count. It isn't until he looks up and see the look on Rick's face, one that he can't mistake, his deadly serious look.

"No, no, no. You're wrong, it can't be,"

"I'm not wrong, and it's true."

"This is going to come as a shock to you Jim, but Joanna, for the last 15 years, has been working for the Central Intelligence Agency. She's a spy Jim."

"Bullshit plain and simple! I would know if she was still alive."

"Would you really? Just think back, you weren't yourself after she _supposedly_ died." Rick emphasized the word supposedly. "You found your way into a bottle and grief had taken over and can you even remember what you were like then? I'm not making light of your situation, far be it for me to judge anyone but Jim, you weren't exactly in the right frame of mind to know if she was either dead or alive."

"Okay, Rick I'll give you that one point. Now why should I believe that she's still alive? She would have tried to contact me right after she was _supposedly_ killed if what you're saying is true."

"Actually, Jim it's the spy in her that prevented that. She was recruited by the director of the CIA. Right after her death, he made everything that she accomplished disappear. Records...medical, dental, school, and college, law cases that she won, and even everything that she had a connection to here in New York before she died. It was this case the provided them, the CIA, with information on a sleeper cell of terrorists operating here in the United States in Russia."

"Rick to be honest with you, this sounds like it's all made up. You know there's only one way that you can prove that you're telling me is the truth."

"What would that be?"

"If what you're telling me is true, then she has to be hidden away somewhere. She could be in Russia, hell she could be anywhere. But I believe that if you're telling me what you're telling me right here and now, then she's here in the city."

This is the last thing that Rick wanted to do. He would use it only as a last resort but first, he needed to tell Kate and Joanna this new development. He drew his phone from his pocket and started to dial. The call connected on the second ring.

"Hey, Rick what's up?"

"Kate your father's a bit skeptical, he needs proof, so we will be over in 30 minutes, but get ready for some fireworks!"

Rick drew a breath and trying to calm himself. He leaned on the table for a minute to decide what role he would play in this situation.

Xx

Kate was way past being calm. She knew this was going to be a disaster. But she would offer her support to her mother when needed. Just as she started thinking about all the possible scenarios there was a knock on the loft's door. After hearing said knock, Martha, being the matron of the house rose from the table and quickly raising her hand to still the current occupants in their seats. Walking over to the door she looked through the peephole to make sure that it was Rick and Jim.

"Good afternoon gentlemen, would you please come in."

Rick gave Martha a look that said to her _I'll deal with you later._ She stepped aside returning his look of disgust with one of her own and allowed them to enter. Jim had been to the loft only a couple of times. In the times when he was there, mostly just to talk to Rick, he felt that his home describes his tastes. His defenses melted just a little when he laid eyes on Katie. But as quick as they melted, he turned cold as ice again. What he was seeing in front of him had to be a ghost. There's no way she could be alive. He slowly walked over to the table where Alexis and now Rick were now sitting down.

"Jim?" Joanna asked.

"Forgive me if I feel so cold towards you, you're supposed to be dead!"

"Before we start talking, I think we should set some ground rules here. Number 1 there will be no disrespecting of anyone's feelings. Whatever has to be said, can be said civilly. Number 2 if anyone feels that the conversation will get heated, they can call timeout. And 3rd, there be no physical contact whatsoever. Do I make myself clear?"

Rick sees three of the four head bob up and down. It's Joanna that's the holdout.

"Joanna, I need you to agree to this before we start talking."

"Rick that's my husband, I shouldn't need rules to speak with him!"

"That remains to be seen if I'm still your husband, you're dead remember? Jim added.


	33. Chapter 33

XXXIII

Jim knew his comment was hurtful to her in every way. But what did she expect, she pretended to be dead for the past 15 years? But with what he was feeling right now he felt that she deserved it. Jim looked to his daughter, and then to Alexis and Martha. It wasn't until his eyes rested upon the Rick, that he got an uneasy feeling throughout his body. Rick was serious, he wasn't kidding around.

"Joanna, I was serious in my request. You need to agree to these terms, or this ends right now." Rick stated.

Joanna, being stubborn as always cast a glance at her daughter. And she could tell that if she didn't agree nothing would get done.

"I agree on one condition, we will only talk about why I had to die. Nothing will be said about what I do right now with the CIA."

"Joanna, if we don't discuss what happened after you died then all this is useless. I need to know what happened from the night in the alley to what brought you back here right now sitting at this table." Jim said.

Joanna being adamant, not wanting to expose her cover with the CIA decided to throw caution to the wind and agreed to the terms that Rick had put forth. Not that it mattered anyway because the second she opened her mouth to tell everyone at the table what she had been doing for the past 15 years her position in the CIA was finished. She looked at Martha one last time for guidance to make sure that she was doing the right thing.

Martha nodded with a look of understanding telling her that everything would be alright.

"Okay, Jim where do you want me to start?"

"The beginning is usually the best place to start from, so let's try that."

"Well I know you remember January 9th, 1999 and how devastating it was for you and Katie when I was supposedly killed, but a detective Raglin was waiting for you at the house when you returned from the restaurant. Raglin was a more than then an NYPD detective he was a liaison between the CIA and the NYPD. After he told you what happened to me, he was the one who transitioned me from lawyer to my beginnings with the CIA. After about 3 months of training with him, I was sent to Quantico Virginia."

"Mom, I remember Raglin, either he's very good at his job or he's a great actor it seems so real coming from him when he told us you had died." Kate said.

"Kate this had to be believable to everyone. If it wasn't believable then the case that I was working could have been compromised."

"Alright Joanna, about this case that you're been talking about, and I don't mean Joe's case. Rick told me that you were working a second case, and that's why you needed to become a part of the CIA. What case could take precedence over your life?"

"Jim, this case has deep roots within various arms of government law enforcement. As far as we can tell, I mean me and my handlers, is that there are some people within the FBI who are involved in this somehow. We just haven't figured out how deep it runs within the Bureau."

Rick sat back in his chair. He knew that no law enforcement agency was squeaky clean. But with what Joanna just told them it seems that there are rats everywhere.

"Mom, can you tell me what this case has to do with arms and drug smuggling?" Kate asked.

"Actually Katie, we think that Bob Armin had something to do with this back in 1999. He either had a network of agents who were in this together and loyalty to him kept them quiet. The only problem with that is that he's been dead over 18 years."

"Now wait just a minute, you're telling me that you dropped everything, pretended you were dead, just a chase after drugs and guns?" Jim stated painfully.

Joanna looks down in shame. At the time, it felt like it was the right thing to do, but now she sees that this was a colossal mistake. As he looked up to see Jim looking back at her, she wondered if he'd ever forgive her for what she had done.

"Jim, the CIA only made me believe that this case and what I knew about it was the only way to go. Now I realize that I was so wrong."

"Joanna, there have to be more people involved in this on a local level. While there might be people high up within the FBI involved, and I'm sure but this has far reaches within the CIA as well. So maybe your handler and your boss are not as being as honest as you think they are." Rick pointed out.

"Mom, can you remember anything about anyone else who might know anything about your placement in Russia?"

"Katie, at first I was given the lowest clearance a CIA agent could obtain. It wasn't until about five years ago when I was put in charge of the Western European area. This mostly covered Russia and the Baltic states. Sometimes I was ordered to go into the UK."

"So, what you're telling me is that you've been overseas since 1999?" Rick asked.

"Basically yes, other than briefings to the director I've been abroad."

"So, in that time frame, they could have been keeping you in the dark by keeping you away from the real facts. Tell me, Joanna, did it seem like they were giving you senseless missions at times?" Rick asked.

"Rick, now that you mention it, there were about 10 or 15 missions that were odd. Not so much as odd, but actually more sidetracking me from what I was supposed to be doing. The missions they sent me on did lead to some sort of information for the cell I was investigating. But it took me away from what I was doing in Russia."

"Joanna I think there's more than meets the eye with the CIA. I think that this whole case, your involvement, and your death we're just manufactured to keep you busy."

"Rick anything's possible. I wouldn't put it past the CIA to deceive me this way. But what about the progress I've made with this terrorist cell. They really are smuggling guns and drugs to the US and being distributed throughout the country. Gangs are getting very heavily-armed because of their efforts. So, what do I do, just give up, and abandon my mission?"

"Joanna, I think that since this is your last case, and bringing those to Justice will need to be the end of it. I know that will you no longer have a career with the CIA after this is done. So, in order to bring you back to the living which you're not, by the way, we're going to have to go at this with clear heads and a foolproof plan. We need to grab the cell that's moving the guns and drugs and I need to find out how deep within the CIA this thing goes."

"Rick, is it possible for us to be able to mount an operation like this? This is the CIA were talking about." Kate asked concerned.

"Kate, I know that this seems impossible and we've dealt with a lot worse together but we have a good team of men and women to get the job done right here at our disposal. And I have an ace in the hole, one I will be calling after this get together is done. Now we're going to leave you alone so the three of you can't talk out what you're going to do from this point forward."

Rick, Alexis, and Martha all rose from the table and decided to make something to eat for everyone. They had a long road to conquer if they were to come out of this in one piece.

"Jo, I still have a hard time believing that there's no way you could not let us know that you were still alive. Do you know what your death did to us, me and Katie? It killed us! Katie of all people only being 19 at the time had to take care of me and deal with your death. And god did she struggled with it. Even though you're here now, I still don't think that she will be able to deal with it." Kate cut in.

"Mom that's only half right. It will take some time but I _will_ put this behind me and look to a brighter future now that your back."

"You're a better person than I am Katie. I still think that your mother's sudden appearance has made my opinion of her colder. I believe that what she says is true but that still doesn't dismiss the fact but she left us... willingly."

"Jim I know that what I've done in the past has hurt what we had together. But if we can talk alone, just the two of us do you think we can find some kind of neutral ground?"


	34. Chapter 34

Kate looked over at Rick after her mother's statement, then reached over and grabbed his hand. She led him to the kitchen where they both sat and started eating the sandwiches he had made earlier.

"So, Kate do you think they'll be able to settle their differences?"

"Babe I'm not sure. But what I do know is that when Dad holds a grudge he can be very stubborn. Stubborn to where he might go just a little too far."

"Excuse me, Katherine, during all that has gone on with your mom, have you ever checked in with either Ryan or Esposito concerning your cousin's case?"

"Martha I haven't spoken to them in two days at least. Why?"

"Well Kathrine, while your mother has blown her cover so to speak, but there's still the case of your cousin Sophia. What do we know? Her death has to be related to this case somehow. And other than the memory stick that Richard recovered in France we're still at square one concerning her death. Do you think that the CIA could be a part of this as well, being that there are no leads?"

Kate looks to Rick, concerned. Maybe Martha has a point. She thinks.

"Rick you've been to the crime scene at the apartment correct?"

"I was."

"Did anything seem out of place, anything out of the ordinary?"

"Kate everything looked normal, but then again I don't live there so I wouldn't know what to look for. Maybe we should get you over there see if there's anything you can find that doesn't look like it should be there."

"We can do that. But before we do that, I want to talk to Lanie. If she confirms what I suspect, they'll be no need to go to my apartment."

"Oh, and what do you suspect, detective?"

"I suspect, now stay with me here, that my cousin was shot, and she was shot from a distance. While it might have been inside the apartment, her life wasn't taken from close up. That tells me that this was a contract. And we all know who issues contracts on the side."

"Kate, I have a damn good idea."

With his good hand, Rick pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number he dreaded to dial. Because once he did, he would bring an aspect to this case that would involve more than just them. When the call connected he simply said this,

"The train is stalled on the tracks."

Kate gave him a look, knowing that he just unleashed his father. Maybe this could put an end to this case, she thought.

Xx

Jim and Joanna were talking at the table…. still. As Rick looked over and thought they were at least being civil with each other. He and Kate went back to eating their lunch.

"So, do you think they'll be able to work it out?"

"Rick I'm not sure what's going to happen. But whatever it is, it better happen quick. I'm sure that your father is going to put us on the time schedule."

No sooner did she finish that statement, Rick's phone rang. He swiped it, put it to his ear, and just listened. All the while Kate was watching him with extreme doubt. The call ended and Rick hung up without saying a word.

"We have a meeting in an hour. Columbus Circle Park by the refreshment stand. And he wants me to come alone."

"Like hell. I just got you back from a terroristic situation downtown. There's no way I'm letting you out of my sight."

"Kate, I agree with you. That's why you will be coming, but you will be in a safe place, hidden. It's not that I don't trust him, I just don't trust him with you."

Kate blushed a little bit and dropped her head to hide her quickly reddening face.

"Richard what makes you think he's going to be able to help us?" Martha asked.

"Mother you of all people should know this. When he goes rogue and once he has a target, he will be relentless in finding the truth. And the truth is something we need right now, so I'll take any help he can give us."

"I just hope you know what you're doing."

"So do I mom, so do I."

Xx

It has been over 2 hours since the Castles and Kate left the Beckets' to talk at the table. Rick and Kate were in his office and his mother had gone to her room to lay down to take a nap. Alexis was reading a book on the couch.

Jim and Joanna walked into his office with the fingers of their hands interlocked together. Jim had a foolish look on his face while Joanna was looking more serious.

"So, I see that things have been resolved maybe a little bit?"

"You could say that Rick. But we're far from the finish line. At least we've agreed to be civil towards one another." Joanna said.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it! So, is this more of a ceasefire or a truce?"

"Let's just say we've seen the light... For now."

"We have made some interesting discoveries since you've been talking. Kate had the idea to call her friend Lanie, at the morgue. And after rechecking Sophia's body, she found that whoever took her life was a professional. So, while I regret doing this I have called in my father, we should have some sort of idea of who were up against. Joanna, I promise you that we will find out who killed Sophia and who is leading the illegal drug and gun smuggling within the CIA. After this case is put to rest you'll be officially retired. And I'm sure I don't have to tell you this but you're going to have to watch your back."

"Rick let's get to work. Did your father say when he was calling you back?"

"Actually, I'm meeting him in 45 minutes. Kate will be in place for surveillance, recording the whole encounter so we can analyze the recording later."

"Rick what's going to stop your father from handling this on his own and in his own way? From what you've told me he is a person who works behind the scenes. Not that whoever's running this doesn't deserve it but I'd like the opportunity to look him straight in the face as his accuser."

"You just might get your wish Joanna, but right now I have to get going. Kate, are you ready?"

"Yeah I have the parabolic mic ready. All I need is an external drive to record this meeting on."

Rick reaches into his desk drawer, pulls out a 10-megabyte flash drive and hands it to her.

"This should work nicely, thanks, babe."

Xx

"Kate, is the mic picking up me talking right now?"

Over his ear bud, he hears "5 by 5."

He sits on the park bench, the one he had sat at the last time they had met. From out of nowhere, and Rick swears he turned his head away just once, his father is sitting on the opposite bench from him.

"Richard, let's take a walk."

"Dad, what do you know?

"Not here Richard, the trees have ears!"

Rick curses himself internally. He should have known that his father would know Kate was here listening in and hidden behind a very large oak tree. They both rise, and walk away from where Kate is hiding. From the corner of his eye he sees her trying to follow, but the path his father has taken limits her without being seen.

It takes just about the whole park to make him feel at ease. They're still walking and he starts.

"Son, this might come as a shock, after the hour I've been digging I've known about what your girlfriend's mother is into. She's not completely over her head yet, if she keeps going the way she is she'll be underwater quick."

"What can we do? I need to put an end to this once and for all. Can you help?"

"From what I've found out already, this was going to end on its own within 6 months. But now that we have you, Joanna, and my wife, we should be able to speed up the process exponentially."

"So, for now, just head back to the loft and I'll contact you in 4 hours."

Rick stopped walking, and his father kept going within 30 seconds he was gone. Then he felt Kate's hand touch his arm that was supported by the sling.

"Do you think he'll find anything?"

"If I know him, he's already got three routes to take to get the information he needs. And none of them will be pleasant."

Xx

Jackson Hunt knew exactly where to start. First, he'd make a couple phone calls to confirm what he thinks is already the truth. After that, he'll bring out his alter ego. Knowing that this will be a covert operation, he'll have to take extreme measures not to be caught.

Xx

"Kate, do you want your favorite from the Italian restaurant? I was thinking about putting an order in and having it delivered." Rick said.

"Count me in." he heard Alexis say.

"And the three of us as well." Martha added.

"Alright then, I'll call it in."

After he called the order in 30 minutes a young man came to the door and dropped it off. He tipped him generously and accepted the food. They all sat down at the dining room table and ate.

Looking at the time after checking his watch his father's four hours was coming to a close. Just as he looked to Kate his phone rang.


	35. Chapter 35

XXXV

Jackson Hunt stares at the reflection in the full-length mirror. He's dressed in solid black not one single piece of his body is showing. This is the way it needs to be for what he has to do next. He'll start at the bottom and work his way up. He knows for sure that none of this will end pleasantly. He checks his shoulder holster one last time making sure the Sig is loaded and he has enough rounds to accomplish the task at hand. He also carries two daggers at the bottom of his pants tucked into each boot. And if that's not enough, hidden in the small of his back he has a snub-nosed .38. He doesn't think it would come to using this but he has it just the same. His first stop is the deputy chief for the CIA located on the east side. He'll pay him a visit and hopefully come away with some good intel. Although he's not quite sure about the life expectancy of the deputy chief.

Xx

Joanna wanted to be in on whatever Hunt was doing. She knew without a doubt that there would be multiple deaths associated with his so-called investigation tactics. But on the other hand, she knew that if she was involved she'd only slow him down, or even end up dead. So, she sat back in the chair and decided that she'd let him do his thing. She only hoped that this would be the end of her time with the CIA. She had too much at stake to stay with the CIA any longer, she was done. She had decided that once this was over Jim and herself could live the dream. She only hoped that he would forgive her but she could only hope for the best.

Xx

Hunt slipped into the office building undetected, for a CIA secure office space this place was a joke. The security alone was so five years ago, that a 7th grader could have no problem gaining access to this place easily. He moved along the back wall of cubicles until he reached the Deputy Chief's office. He was in luck the deputy chief what still at his desk. He entered the outer office and took in who he was dealing with. The man had gotten soft. There was no way he'd ever let anyone get this close to him. Armed only with his sidearm and even that he thought would take him awhile to remove it from its holster. With the element of surprise, he strode through the remaining outer office and into his office. The deputy chief never saw him coming. He quickly positioned behind the deputy chief, and placed him in a full nelson choke hold. Lifting him out of the chair he took the liberty of disarming him. He walked him over to a stand-alone chair in front of his desk. Sat him down quickly in the chair zip tied his arms to the arms of the chair, and then did the same for his ankles. He then gaged him so he wouldn't have to listen to him speaking back at him.

"Deputy Chief, I'm here on an urgent matter, one that I know you have information about."

The man just nodded his head. Hunt removed the gag on the promise that he wouldn't speak until he was asked a question. He nodded once more.

"Deputy chief, it's been brought to my attention that you have or know someone who's covered up a murder. This senseless murder was someone I was quite fond of. Do you know who I'm talking about?"

"I think I have an idea. What would you want to know?"

"My question for you has two parts, the first part is did you have anything to do with the murder of my friend? And the second part is if you didn't you're going to need to tell me who did."

"I'm really not at Liberty to tell you who's behind this."

"Are you sure about that deputy chief?" Hunt asked as he withdrew his Sig from its holster and started to screw on the silencer.

"Well," the deputy chief thought for a second and if he gave up his boss he's sure and his life will be over anyway so he took his chances with the visitor. "Again, I'm not at liberty to give you that information."

"Well if that's the way you want it then it looks like I have no choice."

Hunt raised his Sig and placed it against the temple of the deputy chief. He pulled back the hammer on the Sig and positioned his index finger against the trigger, threatening.

"Wait, wait, wait, all I can give you is just basic information about who was hired to carry out her murder."

"I'm sorry deputy chief, but I'm going to need a lot more than that. You see, I already know who's responsible for her murder. What I want is the man who gave the order to have her killed."

"I swear I don't know, all I know is that it came from someone higher up than me. My only job was to be the middleman. All I was instructed to do was take the payment to the dead drop. I swear that's all I did!"

Hunt had a feeling that this was the case. There's no way that whoever was in charge would get their hands dirty by doing something so menial.

"You know, I just think I might believe you."

"That's a rel..."

The deputy chief never finished the end of his sentence. Hunt, not wanting to leave anything behind decided that the life of a sniveling CIA deputy chief could be replaced, hopefully with someone who was less tempted. As he raised the end of the silencer to his nose he took a quick sniff of the remaining gunpowder residue he thought about his next move. He left the office in the same way he entered, quietly and unseen. His next stop was going to sadly be Langley, Virginia.

Xx

Early the next day...

Rick was having trouble with his latest decision. He knew that there was no way they would accomplish anything without his help. But his father's tactics we're something he once only read about from classified files. He knows for a fact that people end up losing their lives after he's done visiting with them. He knows deep down in his heart that these people deserve what they get when they meet his wrath. It's the price that they pay when they think the draw of money outweighs doing the right thing by being decent human beings. The sooner they get done with this case, the sooner Joanna, his mother and he and Kate can be free. After this case is finished he's going to hang up is guns.

Kate had not seen Rick in the last hour and a half, so she decides to try and find him. She looked all over the loft and couldn't find him anywhere. Then she remembered his office. It's the only place she didn't check

"Rick, what are you doing in here all alone?" Kate asked.

"I'm just contemplating my future." he said still staring out the picture window facing the city.

"Oh, and what would that mean exactly?"

"Kate, you know I love you, right?

She was about to answer yes but he steam rolled over her response.

"And I hope that you love me back. Now I've done some thinking and when this case is over I'm going to marry you."

Kate just stood there looking at him like he had three heads. That is until he reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a small black velvet box. She wished there was a chair behind her so she could fall into it, knowing what he was going to do next.

Rick decided that this was the time. He wanted to ask her to marry him, but something always interrupted them or came up that's threatened their lives. So, he reached into his desk drawer pulled out the black velvet box from Tiffany's, placed it in the palm of his hand that was in the sling and pried open the top of the box with his good hand. Getting down on one knee in front of her, with the open box in his hand and asked her,

"Katherine Houghton Beckett, would you do me the honor of being my wife?"

The next sound that they heard was three individual gasps coming from the entryway of the office. Kate spun around to see who made the noise. It turned out that they had an audience. Martha, Johanna, and Alexis were standing right inside the doorway. Kate giggles and she takes in the sight of all three of them. Alexis has her hand over her mouth, her mother has her hands covering her eyes, and Martha has both hands on her ears. She turned back to Rick, who was still on one knee in front of her and gave him her answer.

"Rick I'd be honored to be your wife!"

Rick removed the four-carat diamond ring from the jewelry box and placed it on her proper finger. Quickly she pulled him up to a standing position, and her lips were drawn to his immediately. From across the room, she heard clapping and whistling. She released him from his embrace, turned and went to her future mother-in-law and stepdaughter.

"Kate, I'm so happy for you and Dad. You two were meant to be together!"

"Thank you, Alexis, that means so much to me."

"The same goes for me too, kiddo, I wish you two all the luck in the world!" Martha said as she took Kate into a bearhug.

"Katie, I never thought I'd see the day when my child would be getting married. In a way, I'm so glad I decided to come back now to be here. Now, all we have to do is get this damn case finished and closed and start planning for your wedding."

"Mom, let's go tell Dad, come on!"

Kate took her mother's hand and started dragging her out into the living room. When she got to the center of the living room, the whole room was empty, her father was nowhere in sight.

"Rick come out here for a second!" Kate practically screamed in a worried tone.

Rick rushed out of the office being followed by Alexis and his mother. The first thing he noticed was that Jim's coat was still hanging where he left it yesterday and when he looked at the door to the loft was that it was partially opened. In his heart, and in his mind, he feared that the worst had happened right under their noses...

 **A/N: I thought that this would be one of the two last chapters. I was wrong. there is just a little more story to tell, so strap in and hold on...**

 **P2P**


	36. Chapter 36

XXXVI

Jim Beckett considered himself a physically fit man. Even though he was an attorney, he got the gym at least two to three times a week. But what he was dealing with right now was pushing him to his limits. He was in a 10 by 10 room, with only the illumination of one single 60-watt light bulb. He could tell that he was bound by the arms, legs, and midsection. It reminded him of what he had seen on TV and in the movies. He was on his back strapped to a stainless steel exam table. Chills runs down his spine not knowing what was going to come next. What he was able to put together in his head was that this was related to Joanna and the case she was working in Russia, it had to be. After about 15 minutes of him being conscious, he heard footsteps coming closer to the door to his left. The door open with a creaking squeak.

"Ahh, I see that you've finally awakened Mr. Beckett."

"What's going on, who are you people?"

"Those are two very good in queries Mr. Beckett. Ones that I will be happy to answer for you once I get what I need out of you. And I can guarantee I would do anything to get the information I need by any means available to me."

Jim was in over his head. He knew practically nothing about Joanna's case. He only heard what was said between Rick and Joanna. He's sure that he knows nothing that will get him out of this predicament...alive.

Xx

Joanna and Kate were frantic. Sometime while they were in Rick's office when he proposed, somebody took her father. She wanted to go after whoever took him with Rick's help of course. But then she remembered that he wasn't at a hundred percent yet, his arm was still in the sling. This severely limited his abilities. Her thoughts made her think about going out on her own and was putting together a plan to do just that.

Right then Rick walked out of the office and noted how deep in thought Kate was. He knew that she was going to go off the reservation and he needed to reel her back in. So, he told her,

"Kate, I'm going to call Eric and Mike and get them over here to help. I'm sure they could probably give us a hand and then after that I'm going to call my father again."

"Rick, are you sure that's such a good idea?" She asked after shelving her plan deep in the back of her mind.

"It's not that it's a good idea, one which I hate, but he'll get a location on your father quickly with his help, that I can guarantee."

"I hope your right babe."

Rick got busy making his phone calls. His first call was to Mike and he asked him to bring his laptop with the tracking program. Hopefully, they could track his cell phone seeing that it was not in the loft. It had to be on his person or close to where he is now. Then, he made a call to Eric. He explained the situation to him and he asked him to bring most of the armament they had on hand. They were going to need all the firepower they could get their hands on.

"Kate, could you do me a favor and wait out in the loft for Mike and Eric to arrive. Please close the door behind you."

"Sure babe."

Rick asked her to leave for two reasons. The first one she knew he probably wanted to be alone when he called his father. But he had a second ulterior motive in his mind. He carefully untied the sling from around his neck. He then slipped the sling from around his arm and neck. He stretched out his arm and flexed it repeatedly. He was slowly trying to work his arm back to normal. He got up from the chair, walked over to the closet and drew out two free weights. The first one was a 10-pounder the other a 20-pounder. He went back to his desk sat down with the 10-pound weight in his right hand. He propped his elbow on the desk with the ten-pound weight in his hand. He slowly moved his arm back and forth to get used to the weight. After about 10 minutes of using the 10-pound weight, he switches to the 20-pound weight. At first, this was little tough on his muscles and he felt the burn but he worked through it. About 30 minutes later, his arm was almost back to 75 percent strength. With his small workout done he reached for his cell. He unlocked it and hit speed dial number 3.

"What is it Richard, I'm kind of in the middle of something right now."

Through the small speaker, he heard what sounded like a muffled scream. He shook his head back and forth realizing what his father was doing exactly at that moment.

"Dad, Kate's father has been taken. We're going to try to track his cell phone. I don't know if we'll get lucky or not but it's worth a shot."

"That's a good place to start son. Right now, I have someone with me who can possibly give me a location for Mr. Beckett, but I'll have to call you back."

"Okay Dad, I'll be waiting for your call."

Hunt had the CIA's division chief for the Eastern half of the country tied to a chair. With the phone call he just received he decided to change his tactics. He slipped out the knife from his boot and placed it against the neck of his detainee.

"The first wrong answer you give me will end your life. And it won't be pleasant. Nod if you understand."

His captor just nodded to him.

"Who has taken Jim Beckett?"

"I can't say for certain, but I know the director of the CIA, the director FBI, and someone very high up people in the NSA have their hands in this mess. From my point of view, it looks like they're going to start covering their tracks, and they're starting with Mr. Beckett first. I should warn you, however, that Richard Castle, Kate Beckett, her mother, and Castle's mother and daughter are targets are on his list as well. And I wouldn't be surprised if they take them as a group. They know that they've been together since they ended the bombing threat in the market."

Xx

What Hunt really needed was to be in two places at the same time. He needed to be back in New York trying to get to Richard to help him there, but he also needed to find the location of the directors. He knew the FBI director personally, he was a friend when he needed one, and he knew he owed him some favors, but as it sits right now, those favors have just been moved over to the balance paid column.

"Where did they take Mr. Beckett?

The division chief gave Hunt's question a lot of thought before he actually answered him.

"I can't say for sure, but if I were a betting man I'd say he has him in the waterfront warehouse in the Bronx."

"How do I find this warehouse."

"It's actually hidden in plain sight. It's a secure facility with at least 10 armed guards. They carry everything from AK-47's to Mac 10's. But I haven't been a part of their operation in years so they could have upgraded their weaponry to include anti-personnel weapons. Claymores or equivalent.

"Do you know the location of the FBI and CIA directors right now?"

"I'm pretty sure that both directors are at River Bend Golf and Country Club. They play there once a month and today is their designated day."

Hunt usually killed his detainees. But since he had received the information he sought, he decided to have a heart. He withdrew a heavy sedative and injected the needle into the division Chiefs neck. Pushing the plunger, he released 30 cc's of diazepam, but he had also added an additional drug to put him into a coma for at least 15 days. By the time the doctors figured out what was wrong with him, the pentobarbital would have swelled his brain causing his internal organs to shut down one by one. He left the division chief unconscious in the chair. He withdrew his phone and placed a call to his son. Richard never picked up.

Xx

Mike and Eric had arrived and Eric went right to Rick, who was comforting Kate.

"Rick, the Tahoe is downstairs in the garage. I have everything loaded in the rear cargo area. Everything we have is there. What are you expecting?"

"Eric, we're at war. It's the only way to describe the urgency of what we need to do next."

"Then you need to come with me. You need to make sure that we have everything we need to get this done."

They all walked back to the service elevator that had granted access to the garage. Once Eric had unlocked the Tahoe, Rick pulled open the rear cargo door. His eyes went wide when he saw what Eric had loaded up.

"Eric, when you make a decision, you really go with the unknown, don't you? Rick asked as his smile grew larger.

"Hey, I try."

"You did well. Modified M4's with 30 round clips, Colt 9mm SMG's, UZI's with 50 round clips, Remington 10 and 12 gauge shot guns! Where in the hell did you get your hands on a pair of M320 grenade launchers?"

"Rick the less you know the better."

"How much ammo do we have to go along with us?"

The M320's have just under 50 rounds between the two of them. I was able to get over 4000 rounds for the Colts, the M4's have around 2000 rounds, the shotguns are just about unlimited. The UZI's well that's where we fall a little short, I was only able to get my hands on two spare clips for each UZI and we have 800 rounds roughly 200 rounds per weapon."

"Alright, everyone back upstairs. We need to get a plan together."

When Rick got back to the loft, he decided to leave his mother and Alexis at the loft when they left. He'd have Mike, Eric, Kate, himself and Johanna. He'd use Johanna and Kate as a backup. He would give Mike and Eric the Colts, he'd take one M320 and a UZI and one of the M4's. For Kate, he'd give her an M4, and one of the 10 gauge riot guns. He'd also give Mike the honor of carrying the other M320. With the weapons assigned he made his way to his desk. He noticed his phone there with the blinking light indicating that there was a voice mail waiting. He retrieved the message and listened.

 _"Richard, I have a possible location on Jim Beckett. He's at a CIA secure location in the Bronx. Call me back ASAP."_

Rick deleted the voicemail per protocol and hit number 3 on his speed dial. The call connected.

"Dad?"

"Richard, I need to give you the location of the CIA's warehouse, but be warned there is an assault team in place, and they'll most likely be waiting for you. There are 10 targets. Happy hunting, son."

"Dad, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going after the heads of all this mess. Richard, I'm going hunting as well. Soon this will all be over."

Rick wrote down the address from memory and rushed out to the main room in the loft. When he came to a skidding stop, everyone stopped talking.

"I know where your dad is Kate! So, here's what we're going to do. He waved everyone over to him and everyone gathered around Rick and he described the plan he had unfolding in his head….


	37. Chapter 37

Hunt knew that there would be no escape from this and that neither director was coming out of this alive. Sure, he has killed men in the past but this was different. They never stopped to think how badly somebody can want something and do whatever they can to hide the fact of their involvement. What the CIA and FBI directors had failed to realize was that no matter how untouchable you think you are, in this reality you're only just a pawn. And their time was up.

For all that they had been involved in, he was given the green light by POTUS directly once he was made known of the facts. It is now his job to do everything and anything in his power to put an end to their illegal activities. He looks down at the .300 Win Mag sniper rifle. He's had this particular weapon for well over 20 years. It hasn't seen the light of day in 4 years. It's accurate and well maintained he's going to use it to complete this mission. He looked through the binoculars at the 18th hole of the golf course he has just what he needs to take out both directors. There's no available cover anywhere in the area and that's to his advantage. He'll wait until the CIA director takes his shot and then he'll take his. He's sure that the FBI director will try and locate where he's located. In a short amount of time, he'll take him out too. He selected the golf course for two reasons. The first being that it's wide open and there's nowhere to escape to. The second reason is that they made the mistake of both being together at the same time, and their predictability was noted. They decided to dismiss their security detail to enjoy their golf outing. He still has time to prepare so he gets into the prone position. He surveys the wind, distance to target, and checks his ammunition one last time. Through the rifle scope, he sees the two men pull up in a golf cart. Each gets out and survey their shots. The FBI director steps back and lets the CIA director take his shot. Hunt adjusts his shot and waits. He has one shot and he has to make it count. CIA director squares in front of his golf ball take three practice swings, and then Hunt fires. He sees the director hit the ground the FBI director has no clue where the shot came from. He is amazed that the sound of the shot was suppressed so well by the silencer. He ejects the cartridge, and chambers the second round. By now the FBI director is searching frantically for where the shot came from. He sees nothing, and then Hunt takes his second shot.

Xx

Somewhere in the Bronx not too far from the waterfront Rick and his team are sitting in his SUV. For now, they're hidden.

"Rick, are you sure we can pull this off?" Kate asks.

"Kate, what choice do we have? If we do nothing he's dead. I'd rather be doing something than doing nothing at all."

"Mike, you and your grenade launcher enter the north side of the building. Eric, you take the south side, and Kate and I will go right through the front doors."

Mike and Eric both mumble under their breath,

"It all seems good on paper until it falls apart."

Mike and Eric assume their positions on the sides of the building that they were assigned to. They all had direct comms with everyone in the team. Now all they had to do was wait.

Rick and Kate, we're standing by the front doors. They were just about the breach when Kate put her hand on his arm and stopped Rick. Kate noticed the front door had a tripwire stretched from side to side she pulled Rick back by his shoulder and quietly pointed to the almost invisible wire.

"Kate, I'm going to kiss you!" He said in a hushed voice.

"Not now babe, can you disable this?"

"Piece of cake, just give me a few seconds."

Rick took a pair of snips out of his bag and cut the wire. Both ends fall harmlessly away from the door. They pulled the doors open and notice that there are two claymore mines on each side of the lobby.

"Now that would have been deadly!"

"It seems that they don't want us to come in." Kate said with a smile.

"Well, they better be prepared for us."

The second they made entry into the warehouse they were met by automatic gunfire. Dropping to the ground they returned fire. There seemed to be bullets flying at them from every direction. After they were on the floor for about 5 seconds when they heard a very loud explosion to their left. When Kate looked up, all she saw were three men in fatigues flying through the air. When they landed, Rick and Kate got up and noticed Mike smiling at them. Rick advanced on the second group of 2 men. He shot his M4 from the hip while he was running full speed towards them. He took out one of them with a remarkably good shot. The second one who had failed to raise his weapon to fire in time was met with Rick giving him a face full of fist. Kate turned opposite from where Rick was running. She confronted the three men in fatigues when they realize she was charging on them they start to open fire. She dropped like a quarterback running with a football into a hook slide. As she did, she pulls her UZI up and aims. She lets a short burst fly and disappointingly they just hit the wall right above their heads. She readjusts her aim and fires again. This time she hit two of her targets and they drop right there. The third guy is shaken and just stares at her. As she gets up from the sitting position, her target engages his brain once again. By the time he does, she had already taken him out with a throwing knife to the throat. He falls back still clutching his own throat trying to stop the bleeding. It's a futile effort.

Xx

Jim Beckett knew he wouldn't last much longer. The stainless-steel table he was placed on was now tilted to a 60-degree angle. He had already lost two teeth, and he is sure that his jaw was broken. That's not to say anything about his hands. They took great joy in it when they broke four of his fingers, after the third one, he passed out, never revealing any information as to what they were looking for. He's been on this table for the past 8 hours, and he's losing the fight. He hopes like hell someone will save him from this torture.

"Mister Beckett, I am quickly reaching my limit of patience. It seems you should have talked by now. I give you a lot of credit sir, but now we're down to the point where your life expectancy has become quickly shortened. Never have I had a man who've I extracted information from resisting my methods for so long. Sir, my hat's off to you. But now the time for fun and games has ended."

The operative he knows as Mr. Williams takes a long look at Jim. Then he leaves. Jim is somewhat relieved that he's gone. What he knows is that when he returns, his time is up.

Mr. Williams returns with an IV bag with clear fluid in it, an IV line, and a very large bore needle. Jim doesn't need to ask what he has because he already knows.

"Truth serum?" Jim guesses.

"Very good Mr. Beckett. You should have been a detective like your daughter instead of an attorney."

"Well Mr. Williams, don't be too surprised if she shows up. And then you have to deal with her."

"So, Mr. Beckett you're resorting to last-ditch scare tactics is that it?"

"No sir, you'll wish you should have stayed in bed this morning. You have no idea of the hell that's about to rain down on you. In a way, I feel kind of sorry for you."

"Idle threats Mr. Beckett. And now there over."

Mr. Williams hangs the IV bag from the hanger. He stretches out the IV line rolls up Jim's sleeve and uses an alcohol wipe to clean his arm. He's about to insert the needle into Jim's arm, but then there's a burst of automatic gunfire to his left. Then without warning a grenade strikes the steel doors of the room that they're in. It blows the doors completely off its hinges.

Xx

Jackson Hunt had his weapon disassembled, back in the case and was walking away by the time FBI director hit the ground. He quickly removed his coveralls revealing a groundskeeper's uniform that closely resembled the golf clubs maintenance staff. Then he's over to the golf cart that was parked not far from where he was, his rifle was placed in the golf bag then he got in and drove away. He knew his son was dealing with some pretty heavy resistance. He knew there was no way he could get there in time so we did the next best thing. He pulled out his phone and called Martha. The phone rang twice when she answered.

"Jim?" Martha said into the phone.

"No Martha, I'm afraid not. It's me, Jackson."

"Jackson, please tell me that this nightmare is over?"

"I can't tell you that it's over, but what I can give you is that it's half over. The rest depends on Rick. Have you heard from him?"

"No, I haven't." Martha replied sadly.

"Okay, Martha here's what I want you and Joanna to do."

"I'm listening to you Jackson what do you have in mind?"

"Did Rick leave any weapons at the loft?"

"He did, he left us each a shotgun, and then two UZI's with two magazines each."

"Martha I need you to head down to the warehouse where Rick is at. He's going to need help. I'll text you the address."

Jackson knew that his wife could handle any situation. And he had total faith in Joanna's abilities as well. He did read the reports about her fitness in the field. She was good, and the both of them together will be a force to be reckoned with.

Xx

Kate was the first enter through the double doors that they just blew off the hinges. She sees her father there with his eyes closed, almost as if he's expecting to be shot. He slowly opens his eyes and looks at her. Without saying a word his eyes dart to his right and she automatically looks that way. Standing behind a table is Mr. Williams. And what she sees next has her praying to God if there is one. Mr. Williams, it seems has the stainless-steel table rigged to blow with C-4. And in his hand, he has the detonator with his thumb hovering over the button ready to depress.

"Detective Beckett, I see your found your father. But I'm afraid that's all going to be for nothing. Because neither you or him leaving this room in one piece."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Kate said as she raised her M-4.

"Oh, what makes you think that I won't push this button right now, and take out you, me, your father and the three guys that are standing outside the door waiting to burst in? You see, I'm all in. My life is all about dedication. And dedication starts with a commitment to get the job done."

Rick was hearing every word said by Mr. Williams. They couldn't very well burst into the room with guns blazing, without causing harm to either Kate or her father. He hoped that she could talk her way out of this and save them all. It was all down to her.

Then Jim had an idea. You might be strapped to the table, but his brain was still working just fine. He just hoped that she caught on to what he was going to say to her.

"Katie, remember when you were younger, and I told you that there's always a way to solve a problem? In a way that can have a good outcome?" He grimaced as he spoke because he knew that his jaw was definitely broken now.

Kate thought about with her father just said. And she remembers when she was a kid she would play with knives. She wasn't really trying to do anything bad with them, she was trying to throw them at a target and be accurate in doing so. Her father had come out to the backyard and noticed that she was doing everything wrong. She was too far from the target, she was throwing off the wrong foot, and she was holding the knife incorrectly. He showed her the correct way to do things and after she tried throwing the knife she hit six bull's-eyes in a row.

"I do dad, do you think that would work in this situation?"

"You know, I'm not that sure, but I think it's worth a try."

Kate reach behind her back and withdrew a small throwing knife

She slipped it up her sleeve concealing it from anyone's sight. She winked at her father, and he turned his head preparing to speak to Mr. Williams.

"Mr. Williams, it seems that things aren't exactly what they appear to be."

While her father had his attention, Kate threw the knife at the hand that Mr. Williams held the detonator in. When it struck his hand, the detonator fell to the ground with a thud. By the time Rick realized what she was going to do, he had made the decision to enter the room. What he saw next was Mr. Williams clutching his hand trying to remove the knife that she hit his hand with. He withdrew his Sig Sauer 229 raised, aimed, and fired. The shot drilled into his forehead and exited the back of his head, making a mess against the white wall.

"Rick, help me get dad off the table. Be careful of booby traps that might activate whatever he has under the table."

Rick took a look under the table and found that Jim was free of the bomb. All they had to do was unstrap him and take him off the table.

"Well, I for one am glad to be off that damn table."

"Kate rushed over to her father after Rick took the last strap off, and smothered him in an embracing hug. When they broke away, Kate had tears coming down her face. But these were tears of happiness. They were about to turn and walk out of the room, and that's when Martha and Joanna stormed inside guns raised.

Once they survey the scene around them Martha looks at Joanna and says,

"Jackson must be off his rocker! It seems like they have everything well in hand now. I wonder why he made it such a big deal that they needed backup?"

Joanna just shrugs her shoulders and then walks up to Jim. He stares at her while trying to figure out what he needs to say in his head.

"Joanna, I think I'm okay with what you were doing. And furthermore, I think that I can see past the fact that you're now alive again. Don't get me wrong I'm still upset but I'm sure that in time, we can work through it.

All Joanna did was smile at him. Their eyes lock for the briefest second, and that's all it takes. Instantly their lips are joined together. It's then when Rick decides everyone should leave the room.

"Kate, why don't we leave and let the lovebirds have this room. I think they need it."

"Yeah, Rick you're right. It's kind of creepy watching your parents make out."

With the nod of her head, she takes Rick's hand and pulls him to the exit of the room.

Mike, Eric, Rick, Martha, and Kate walk back through the double doors and out to the SUV. Mike and Eric bring up an interesting question as they reach the SUV.

"Rick, those guys in there we took out didn't look like agents for a secure facility."

"Your right, they didn't. I think that they were mercenaries hired by the CIA."

"Okay, well tell me this, what's going to happen to all the bodies in there?"

"Mike, who really cares? I don't but I'm sure that within the hour the place will be scrubbed and the bodies will be removed."

"You know that this is NOT over by any means…. Right?

"No, Mike, it is over. I can assure that there is no way that this will be able to move forward ever again."

"What makes you so sure?" He asked.

"Well for one, there is no one in a position of authority to give any orders. Secondly, they can't order Joanna around to cover up their connections to any foreign country anymore."

"Rick? What happened to the people who were giving the orders?"

"Mike, that's classified. Just know that there will be better people who will now be directing the CIA and FBI."

Mike gives him a look to say that he doesn't want to know what happened to the prior directors. He just opens up the rear hatch and places his weapons back in the SUV.

"Eric, when you drop us back off at the loft, take the weapons back to where you got them from. On second thought, keep three of the M4's."

Kate looks at Rick and sees the spark in his eyes knowing that he wants to keep something from all this.

They only had to wait for about five minutes before Joanna and Jim came out from the building. The first order of business was to get Jim to the hospital and get him taken care of.

Xx

In the year that had passed, Jim and Joanna have come to terms with her lie. They talked it over and she was forgiven, well sort of. Whenever they had a disagreement like married couples usually do, Jim was the first to throw her missions and her death in her face. He regretted it instantly afterward and so they talked again about it how it hurt them both still to this day. They are doing much better with how they talk to each other.

Martha and Jackson had met up when he returned back from D.C. it was then that he decided to make a change, for the better. He had decided that he wanted to be once again a part of his son's life, and Martha's too. Knowing that he'd still have to deal with the unpleasant and constant reminders of his past life, he too joined his son and resigned from whatever agency he was a part of. He had found out that unlike himself, Rick had grown into a caring, devoted and compassionate man. He was loved and loved in return tenfold.

This is where he finds himself now. Sitting in the front pew right next to Martha holding her hand with all the love he has in his heart for her.

"Greetings all." The priest says.

Everyone in the church replies in kind.

"We are gathered to witness Richard and Kathryn as they take the path toward togetherness. I have met with both of them and I can say without reserve that they were meant to be together. So, without any further delay, let's get started."

Rick takes his place near the altar. When the wedding march music starts, he turns and all he can see is her. She's so beautiful. He can't believe that he's the luckiest man on the face of the earth. As she glides up the aisle he can see that she is just as happy as he is. She stops right next to him.

"Hi, Rick."

"Hi, Kate."

"Are you ready to spend the rest of your life with me?" He asked.

"Babe, I wouldn't trade this for anything in the world!"

They both step up to the altar and face the priest who gives them a giant ear to ear smile.

"Are we ready?"

They both nod.

"Alright then, let's get started." "We are all gathered here today to see Richard and Kathryn as they are joined in holy matrimony…..

-Fin-

 **A/N: Thanks to everyone who has favorited and followed along with this story. It was a blast to write and I hope everyone liked the direction it had taken.**

A/N2: A special shout out goes to TORONTOSUN without his idea for this story, none of what you just read would have been possible!

 **Until next time...**

 **P2P**


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